Kid's toy

Have you ever noticed how children sometimes prefer common household items as toys, rather than the brand-spankin' new ones you buy them to "develop" better?  Well, my little one loves making a racket and playing with general household items.  Pots and pans, empty cartons, you name it.  Of course, I make sure he's not touching anything harmful, but yet he still manages to somehow hurt our home in a way.  Anyway, that's another topic, so I've been making a lot of "new" toys from stuff I don't use anymore instead of throwing them away immediately....and he loves it!!! 

My mom gave me a book called "101 Things to Make and Do With Googly Eyes"....it's quite interesting.  She knows I love crafts ( I get it from her anyway) and my little one thinks it's an awesome book to read, yes read.  He will cry to me so that I can read this craft book to him.  I don't know why he loves it so much, but we sit and read about all the different ways we can use "googly" eyes.  We can sit for so long and just read.  Well, one craft finally gave me an inspiration to make this:



It's really easy to make and my little 20 month-old helped me make it too!  I'm sure you have all the supplies already in your home.  It's a home-made "maraca"...or how you would say, a rattle.

YOU WILL NEED

Old toilet paper roll

Two round circles from card stock ( I cut it up from old cereal boxes before tossing them out)

Old or new drawings your child has made and cut up in random pieces

Sequins, boa feathers, or other decorative trim (this is for the edges)

Googly eyes

Glue

Marker

Dry beans, corn kernels, or anything small and noisy to make a rattling instrument.

MAKE IT

1.  Start by cutting those circles that will seal up your ends to not let the noise-makers out and actually be sturdy.  Here's a general idea.  Remember, try recycling, it's free.  So I used cereal box cardboard to do this and simply turned it over.  Cut slits on the lines inside the circles.

2.  Glue one circle to one end of the toilet paper roll and let the fringed pieces go around the outside edge.

3.  Let your kid out in the kernels (or beans or whatever you got) in the tube and you seal the other end the same way as the other end you sealed.

4.  Now, this is where your child can get creative!  Start gluing all the cut up pieces of his old artwork and  cover the roll and ends completely until you're all out of paper to "Mosaic" on anymore.

5.  Add your decorative trim and let your kid glue on the googly eyes.  Now, simple draw your mouth.

Believe it or not, this toy will be a sensational hit to your little one and he will walk around with it for days!  Mine, still plays with it and loves to dance to the noise it makes too.

Disfruten! Enjoy!