Friday, April 5, 2013

Shake! Rattle! Roll!


Like most kids Alice's age, when playing with toys, she has the attention span of a gnat.  And, more often than not, she wants to play with things that aren't even toys.  TV remote.  My iPhone.  Any type of cord or cable.  Having a rotation of rental toys has helped keep her interest during playtime but I've still had to get a bit creative when it comes to kid-appropriate things for her to play with.

As you may have noticed, I have a hard time throwing things away as my guilty conscience just won't let me toss-and-forget so I try to repurpose things whenever possible.  So when I got a prescription filled awhile back I winced when they put the already blister-packed pills into a pill bottle (so unnecessary!).  Of course those pill bottles are recyclable but I thought of a better use for them.  A rattle!  Not revolutionary, I know, but when I saw Alice rolling and shaking the then-empty pill container I figured I'd jazz them up a bit in an attempt to keep her interest for more than a hot second.  And since I am currently obsessed with washi tape it didn't take much motivation for me to get mine out for this craft.  Here's how to make this crazy-easy toy.  

  • Empty pill container with child-proof lid 
  • Dried beans or rice or barley (I've even used pistachios)
  • Washi tape (get the real stuff... NOT this crappy, plastic-y kind)
  • Plain white paper
  • Clear packing tape
  • Scissors   
Fill your empty pill container with whatever dried thing you've chosen, making sure to leave enough room at the top so that it makes noise when shaken.  Put on the lid, closing it tightly so that tiny hands can't open it (hello, choking hazard!).  Measure and cut paper to cover the lid and the outside of the container (you can skip this step but, because washi tape is a bit sheer, you won't see the pattern as easily... as you can see, I didn't do this on my flowery one and it looks meh).  Cover the piece of paper you've cut for the lid with washi tape and then trim to fit.  Tape the white paper on the outside of the pill container first and then cover with whatever cute washi tape you've chosen.  Finally cover the entire thing with clear packing tape and voila!  You have a homemade rattle.

Who needs toys when you can hug a rock?! April 2013.

5 comments:

  1. Very cute and crafty, I'm sure she will enjoy playing with them.

    A WORD OF CAUTION, I saw a TV news show recently about how easy it is for 3-4 yr olds to open "child-proof" lids on cough syrup, pill bottles, etc. Some kids opened them within a few seconds. They interviewed the pill bottle manufacturer that said they are "child resistant... hard to open, but not child proof".

    As she gets older, you may want to use a hot glue gun and put some glue on the underside of the lid to KEEP it child proof.

    Rocks are fun too. Paint them all kinds of fun colors. xoxo

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  2. Crafty! Love that funky tape. And lol'ed at the surgical scissors :)

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  3. Great idea, Briana! I love how pretty you made these look!

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  4. I love the idea of using Washi tape to make toys for the toddlers! I am a huge scrapbooker and have not thought to get crafty to entertain my little one. Thanks for the idea!

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  5. This is great! Lulu's the same with toys, they hardly hold her attention at the moment, she'd much prefer something that she's not meant to play with. Maybe I'll make one & stick it in my hand bag for her to 'find'.

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