Toys

Toys

If "play is the work of childhood" then toys are the tools. The best toy is the one that motivates the child to do the most. In our fast-paced society it is often tempting to search for the “perfect” toy, while not considering how many opportunities and tools exist within our own homes and communities. Elaborate toys that do a lot are frequently enticing, however, many toys can be made or bought at second-hand stores or garage sales. The benefits of using simpler toys, household items and daily routines are great. Books are important and many babies as young as 7 or 8 months enjoy them. Give your child the chance to play with balls, blocks, sand and water. Give him things to climb on, under, over, and things to push and pull.

Families are now living very complicated lives, filled with many demands on their time and resources. Teaching young children who are visually impaired through the use of daily routines allows learning opportunities to occur on a consistent and frequent basis. Homemade materials and routines are also cost effective and fun.

Remember that at different ages and stages toys are used in different ways. A child may lose interest in a toy only to later discover a new and exciting use for it. When a child gets tired of a toy, put that toy up and reintroduce the toy at a later date. Give some thought as to how to store all of baby's loot. The old toy chests can be dangerous and too often toys get "buried" and not used. Consider plastic laundry baskets, dishpans or plastic shoeboxes. They are small, easy to clean and can be moved from room to room. You can also keep toys on low, open shelves.

Source Disclaimer:

The ideas and activities listed in this section are by no means our own creation. These suggestions come from a variety of sources and individuals. They have become “public domain” just by their multiple uses over time.

AGE GROUP	DANGEROUS TOYS	SAFE TOYS
Up to 2 years	Those small enough to swallow Flammable objects Toys with small removable parts Those with poisonous paint Stuffed animals with glass or button eyes	Sturdy rattles Brightly colored beads on strong cord Washable squeak toys (with squeaker removed) Stuffed animals Large, soft balls Blocks with rounded corners Push and pull toys
2 to 3 years	Those with sharp edges Objects with small removable parts Poisonous paint Marbles, beads, coins Flammable toys	Large peg boards Wooden animals Large crayons Sturdy cars and wagons Rocking horse
3 to 6 years	Sharp or cutting toys Highly flammable costumes, unless treated Electrical toys Shooting games that endanger eyes Poisonous painting sets Well-balanced tricycles or wagons Simple construction sets that may topple	Non-electrical trains Building blocks Dolls and doll equipment Modeling clay Blackboard and dustless chalk Small sports equipment Paints and paint book

Adapted from Our Children's World by the National Safety Council

Quilts

To make a texture or visual stimulation quilt, cut a variety of colored and textured fabrics into squares of the same size. The size of the squares can be whatever you want, depending on how many different squares you want to use and how large a quilt you desire.

If you were to make a quilt with 5 by 5 8-inch squares:

Cut 25 8-inch squares from a variety of colors and textured fabrics.
Lay two squares together with “right” sides of material face to face. Sew about a ½” seam along one side.
Continue until you have five squares sewn together into a strip.
Sew five strips of five squares each – alternating colors and textures.
To sew strips into a quilt, lay two strips face to face (“right” sides together) and sew along one side (just as you did with the first two squares with a ½” seam).
Sew the rest of the strips one at a time to the first two finishing with a sheet of 5 squares by 5 squares.
Lay this sheet face down to another piece of material. A quilting backing, a large piece of fabric, a mattress pad, or even an old sheet may be used as backing. Stitch around this square with another ½” seam – stitching all of three sides and leaving an opening in the middle of the fourth side to pull the fabric through right side out.
Once the fabric is pulled through and corners squared up, hand stitch the opening closed. Use yarn to tack and tie the corner of each square (yarn thread on back of quilt), or stitch along each seam (horizontal and vertical ) through both layers of fabric to tack back to front fabric.

"Choose a Safe Toy for Your Child"

Every child enjoys playing with a favorite toy. But not all toys are as safe as they should be. A 12-year old boy's toy is not necessarily safe for a 2-year-old brother. The chart below can serve as a guide to choosing safe toys for your child(ren).

Toy Safety

Use lead free paint

Watch for small pieces i.e.: eyes, noses and other decorations/objects

Make sure they can't be pulled off

Check for wires that might poke through material

Make sure toy and pieces are too big to swallow

Look for sharp edges

Don't let children run with toys in their mouths

Art supplies

Suggestions for a variety of art materials and activities.

COLLAGE AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

aluminum foil	apple seeds	bark	beads
beans	bobby pins	bottle caps	boxes
cancelled stamps	candle wax	candy wrappers	chains
chalk	clothes pins	cloth scraps	coffee grounds
confetti	contact paper	corks	corn kernels
costume jewelry	cotton balls	crepe paper	drapery samples
dried flowers	dry cereal	Easter grass	egg shells
erasers	feathers	felt scraps	gift wrap paper
glitter	grains	gravel	ice cream sticks
keys	lace	leaves	macaroni
noodles	nuts	paper baking cups	popcorn
Q-tips	ribbons	rice	rubber bands
salt	sand	sea shells	sponges
toothpicks	tissue paper	twigs	wallpaper
weeds	yarns	zippers

TEXTURE IDEAS

Create texture quilts, balls, boxes, tunnels, etc.

Fill your texture box with:

feather duster	pom poms	corduroy	velvet
fur, satin, net	dotted swiss material	burlap	carpet
drapery	sandpaper	wool	gauze

TEXTURE THINGS

flour	rice	macaroni	beans
Easter grass	yarn pieces	popcorn	water
cotton balls	sand	goop	shaving cream
feathers

Recipes

Recipes

Fingerpaint

Ingredients: 1 cup liquid laundry starch	3 cups soap flakes
1 cup cold water
Instructions: Mix the ingredients together and use.

More Fingerpaint

Materials: 1 cup corn starch	2 cups cold water
2 envelopes plain unflavored gelatin	4 cups hot water
1 cup soap flakes or detergent
Instructions: Mix the ingredients together and use.

Playdough Recipes

Recipe #1

3 cups flour	1 tbsp oil
1/4 cup salt	food coloring
1 cup water (with coloring)
Mix the flour and salt. Add the water and then the oil. Add more water if the mixture is too stiff; add more flour if the mixture is too sticky. Knead until dough is fine and soft. Keep covered when not in use.

Recipe #2 - Salt Dough

4 cups salt	Water
1 cup cornstarch
Mix the salt and cornstarch with enough water to form a paste. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Because of its high salt content, this dough will not get moldy. Coffee grounds, sand, cornmeal, etc. can be added to provide texture and variety when dried.

Recipe #3 - Cloud Dough

6 cups flour	1 cup salad oil
Add enough water to make dough soft and pliable. Food coloring may be added to entire batch or to individual pieces as used. This dough is very soft and elastic. It is very pliable and can be used with ease by 2 year olds as well as 5 and 6 year olds. Keep in covered container or plastic bag. Gets oily after a few days.

Recipe #4

5 cups flour	4 tbsp salad oil
2 cups salt	Enough water for right consistency (about 2 cups)
Powdered tempra may be used with flour, or food coloring may be added to finished dough. This dough may be kept in a plastic bag or covered container for approximately 2 to 4 weeks. It is better reused as playdough rather than leaving objects to harden.

Recipe #5 - Oatmeal Dough

2 cups oatmeal	1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
This dough has a very different texture, it is easily manipulated and looks different. Children like to work it and finished products can be made and painted.