Treasure Baskets - a nice activity for home!

[Kylie1007]

Does anyone take their baby to treasure baskets? We to to it on a Thursday morning and they have 2 shallow baskets of household stuff that's themed such as metal kitchenware like spoons, colanders, metal bowls or a wooden theme with wooden bowls, wooden curtain pole rings, wicker balls etc. and the children are encouraged to play with "non bought" toys. Think it also develops concentration, attention, fine motor control, hand/eye coordination etc.

Just mentioning it because I've just made up a basket for Finn with a fish slice, balti dish, wooden spoon etc. and he loved it!

 

[Zodiac]

Yeah - I've got one of these too.

It has in it:

Wooden spoon
Tub (I think it had Hummous in originally) filled with coloured pasta shapes to rattle
Length of ribbon
Shower scrunchie
Small Plastic bottle (coke etc.) filled with coloured feathers
Metal egg whisk

 

[Squiglet]

lil miss didn't really have any toys until she was around 3 months... and even now she still doesn't play with toys. Shes currently playing with the edging on the sofa.... and was playing with a pack of chewing gums earlier (big 6 pack pack iykwim)

Its unhealthy for kids to have too many toys imho. I think it only serves to create greed. And kids have such great imaginations and that should be encouraged, rather than curbed to follow what toy manufacturers think is appropriate for kids to play

 

[kazlin]

Daniel has only a few various toys at the moment, we haven't gone overboard...including fabric books and a few musical toys. He seems to find looking and interacting with us much more interesting and entertaining at the moment

Love the plastic bottle and feather idea

 

[Squiglet]

Daniel has only a few various toys at the moment, we haven't gone overboard...including fabric books and a few musical toys. He seems to find looking and interacting with us much more interesting and entertaining at the moment

Love the plastic bottle and feather idea

another one isputting bits of colourd sponge and glitter into one with some water Tia loved them

 

[kazlin]

Daniel has only a few various toys at the moment, we haven't gone overboard...including fabric books and a few musical toys. He seems to find looking and interacting with us much more interesting and entertaining at the moment

Love the plastic bottle and feather idea

another one isputting bits of colourd sponge and glitter into one with some water Tia loved them

I'm taking note of all this...another fab idea!

 

[Kylie1007]

He loves stacking cups or things made of that hollow type plastic. Problem with the stacking cups is that they roll away from him! He also LOVEs to spin things at the moment! He love my keys/remote control/laptop and even though I got him unwanted keys from the keycutters, he knows they're not mine!

I've found...
a wooden spoon
wooden salad servers
a silver balti dish
a plastic spatula
a metal fish slice
a sports bottle
a jelly mould (the ridges make fun sounds!
little wooden baby hairbrush (unused!)

 

[jools221181]

These are such a brilliant idea! Brody still loves to play with this kind of thing rather than toys! Oh and pans for drums!

 

[kazlin]

Oh and pans for drums!

I can't wait for this!

 

[Kylie1007]

Shower scrunchie

In the treasure basket session we go to, there's a silver scourer sponge and I'm assuming it's plastic but when Finn chews on it, it makes my head crawl

 

[Zodiac]

I go to a baby buddy group that gave me a handout of ideas for the treasure basket - some quite weird but here goes:

Natural Loofah
Leather purse
bean bag
wooden pegs
bottle brush
pumice stone
bulldog clip
small flannel
pastry brush
bunch of keys
hair rollers
rubber gloves
pine cone
piece of leather
wooden nail brush
Powder puff
large pebbles
toothbrush
bells
shells

The only thing I would say tho - is I'd make defo sure not to leave LO unattended with some of these

P.s: Midna - know what you mean about getting hit with the wooden spoon. But also - I feel quite guilty when he smacks himself in the head with it too.... not that it bothers him much

 

[Kylie1007]

Finn loves to chew on the pegs - they're the dolly peg type though rather than ones with a spring.

 

[Zodiac]

Ahh - yeah, that sounds like a better idea than the ones with springs

Also - another idea to put inside a clear plastic bottle is scrunched up coloured sweet wrappers (maybe easier to hold of than feathers... and a good excuse for eating choccies too )

 

[Kylie1007]

Also - another idea to put inside a clear plastic bottle is scrunched up coloured sweet wrappers (maybe easier to hold of than feathers... and a good excuse for eating choccies too )

What? How would I manage a box of Roses.... 8)

 

[Suzie and Faith]

I'm SO EXCITED about this idea!! I can't wait for Fi to enjoy playing properly! wooo!

 

[Kylie1007]

I'm SO EXCITED about this idea!! I can't wait for Fi to enjoy playing properly! wooo!

YEs she's prob a bit small at the mo! One of the criteria at the session is that they can sit up or sit up supported.