What do an empty mustard container, a laundry basket, Dixie cups and plastic container lids have in common? Most of us would answer: absolutely nothing. My mother would disagree. She was born and raised in a small village in South Korea and she knows a thing or three about reduce, reuse, recycle. Growing up, she lived the 3 Rs out of necessity and waaaaaaay before it was in vogue.
A mustard container makes a great bath toy. A laundry basket is a fabulous baby seat. Dixie cups promote creativity and competition. Container lids are more fun than the Fridge Farm. And the bonus? None of these items require batteries or come with a thousand toy parts! This is the way they did it in the old country.
Necessity is a great motivator for creating new solutions to old problems. Some of the most innovative ideas are born out of necessity because when people really need to do something, they will figure out a way. My mother has a knack for bringing fresh ideas to entertain her grandchildren.
Smarties, what household items have you re-purposed as a boredom buster for your children?
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With a toddler in the house, the tupperware cabinet is gold. I can almost cook dinner with the entertainment those plastic bins and lids bring! And a plastic or wooden spoon goes a long way as well.
A cardboard box. My kids have crawled in and out of them, put them on their heads, & made them into ‘treasure boxes’ with the addition of stickers and markers. They have served as baby beds, been cut-out to serve as a bridge and tunnel for trains and when we had a refridg box, we cut out windows and a door and they played with it for years.
the cardboard tube from a used up roll of wrapping paper. My 7 year old’s eyes get huge when he gets his hands on one of those! Hours of entertainment and his imagination/creativity is amazing!
Oh yes, the wrapping paper cardboard tube is an automatic sword when it becomes available! My mother saved a lot of screw on laundry detergent and fabric softener caps when she discovered they would screw on to each other. That provided lots of colorful entertainment, in and out of the bathtub as well.