How to Make Baby Toys From Recycled Materials
Many of the items you put in the recycling bin can be turned into simple toys for your baby. Tissue boxes transform into blocks. Bottles work well as shakers, and baby jar lids become a colorful matching game. Creating toys will save you money now and prepare you and your baby for creative play later on -- not to mention that you will be doing your part to reuse items and help the planet.
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Things You'll Need
- Family photos
- Square tissue box
- Mod Podge
- Plastic bottle
- Tri-colored pasta
- Hot glue gun
- Card stock
- Nontoxic paint
- Baby food jar lids
Instructions
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Make photo blocks. Apply family photos to empty tissue boxes with Mod Podge. When finished, coat the entire box with a final layer of Mod Podge to seal the box and protect your photographs. Mod Podge is certified safe and nontoxic.
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Make a shaker. Fill an empty, clean soft drink or water bottle with dry tri-colored pasta. Seal the lid with hot glue, and allow your baby to shake the bottle or roll it across the floor. The colored pasta adds a visual element that your baby will enjoy. Soft drink and water bottles are made from safe plastic that is not known to leach harmful chemicals.
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Make a matching game. Trace the top of a baby food jar onto a sheet of card stock to create an even number of circles. Cut out the circles, and divide them into pairs. Paint a matching colored shape on each pair. You should end up with something like two blue circles, two red triangles, two yellow squares and so on. Hot glue each circle to the inside of a baby food jar lid. Help your baby match the colors and shapes. For an older child, turn the lids upside down and play the memory game.
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Tips & Warnings
Supervise your baby when playing with any toy that contains small parts or pieces that may tear off when chewed.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Recycle Logo The Bigger Picture image by Sophia Winters from Fotolia.com
