"Tolan, how cool is that?" queried Papa who had just put together a wagon with his three year old grandson. And posing with his newly created robot, twelve year old Cole said, "I think I'll be able to use this for school too."
Both boys had just completed projects using the age appropriate kits that I gave them. These reusable systems encourage youngsters to stretch their creative abilities. Tolan and Cole found used items from around the house (like empty boxes, egg cartons, paper cups, bottle tops, and coat hangers) and they combined these items into something else (a wagon, a robot, a car, a space ship, an animal.)
"Just add a box and some imagination" say the creators of RoloBox, Tolan's kit. It contains four brightly colored plastic wheels and brackets, eight wing nuts, eight bolts, and one pulling handle. Tolan, with the help of his grandfather, enjoyed twisting and turning the screws and later pulling his stuffed animals and mommy's keys around the house.
Cole's kit, on the other hand, called MakeDo, is actually for young people over five (although some adults have been known to use it in their offices as well.) MakeDo comes with an inspiration poster and 165 reusable parts: two plastic safe saws, 17 lock-hinges, 73 connecters, and 73 releasers. In addition, its website provides video tutorials and a gallery where "kids" can upload their creative images, some of which will end up on the next poster.
RoloBox and MakeDo are great gifts for special occasions and nice to have around the house for “rainy days.” (Of course, if one has a well-stocked workshop at home, he or she can put together something similar without having to purchase the kits as I did.) These gifts have benefitted my own grandchildren by encouraging creative activity; by helping them see value in everyday objects—even waste; and by providing a new way to look at and care for the earth.
By Viaux from Miami, Florida
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I have many times bought the kids those play food kits, and I always found they tired of the stuff quickly. Now I save empty boxes of food and keep switching the stuff around so they always have different play food.
Tips for saving money on toys as suggested by the ThriftyFun community.: The best money saving tip I have is - don't bring your kids to the toy store with you.
My son loves to get ahold of my mom's pot and potato masher when he visits her. I didn't want to give him mine and have to continually take them away to use them.
I see toy food for sale all the time and think that not only is it a waste of money. It may not even be safe with all the recent recalls. Save pint-sized milk cartons, empty pizza boxes, empty mac n'cheese boxes, any food container.
My daughter and her friends are not buying their children any new toys for Christmas. Instead, they are having a toy swap among themselves.
Get toys with missing pieces for free or very cheaply and look for the same toy with missing pieces. Combine the toys for a complete set.
When my 4 children were small, we did not have much money and used our imaginations a lot. The one "toy" my daughter remembers is when we made a house for her Barbie out of a cardboard box.
Avoid the temptation to go online and spend a lot of money on the hot toys your kids are clamoring for. All these toys will be available in January for their retail price.
Don't you hate paying the crazy prices they charge for kids toys - and doesn't it seem like the only ones that go on sale are the ones that are really expensive to begin with?
Good examples for great sand toys are applesauce cups, laundry detergent scoops, powdered formula scoops, empty play dough containers and more.
Make sure to check out thrift stores for Christmas presents. I recently bought a set that had a barn, silo, cows, fences, etc. for $2, I plan to buy a tractor (new or thrift) and have this set up underneath the Christmas tree.
