Cheep, educational (and fun) toys!

As I've said in earlier posts Rea (21 months) has grown tired of her plastic, light up, sound making toys (and so have I).  So I've been trying to find new options.  Here are some of our favorites....

Dyed pasta: free. I used what I could find in the pantry. 

Colored ice cubes: free. I didn't have ice cube trays, so I used whatever 

I could find; Tupperware, small bowls, etc.

Colored gems: $3 at Walmart. Rea liked taking them out of the baggie.

Large buttons: $3.50 at United Art and Education. Great for learning colors, shapes, 

sorting, fine motor skills by threading on pipe cleaners.

Black-eyed peas: $1.50 at Dollar Store.  Rea loves to scoop, dump, and shake.

Red and blue color bins: free.  Found objects around the house.

A free classic! Baking soda mixed in warm soapy water.

 Put in different size cups, add food coloring and squirt in vinegar.

Homemade "aqua doodle" made with hair gel: $2.50 at Target. 

Squirt into a gallon baggie, add food coloring.

Water beads/Orbeez: $6 at Kroger for a box of 3 different colors. 

 Each box has 900 beads. Soak in water for 3 hours. Rea's favorite by far! 

(note: they are non toxic in small quantities :)

                                      

Another free classic: Homemade play-dough. We Goggled a recipe. 

Sensory balloons: $1 at Target. Fill pairs of balloons with things like rice, macaroni, oatmeal, sugar, flour, water/cornstarch, cheerios. Great for matching by touch instead of by sight. 

(Balloons usually come in packs of 15.  Throw the extra one in your diaper bag for an easy distraction on the go.) 

Rocks: free.  Throw into a nearby Great Lake. 

Earthworm: free. Rea did not appreciate the educational values of this one ;)