Busy Bags

It was a moment of crisis. Gator and Bull were barely getting their schoolwork done. I was flustered. My "I'm-giving-up-my-afternoon-nap-and-you-can't-make-me-go-to-sleep-but-I'm-still-really-tired" 2.5 year old was bored. So, I scrounged up something for him to do, but realized that I was woefully unprepared for a school year with a non-napping toddler.

What does a girl do? Say it with me: Pinterest! I knew that other moms must deal with this, too. I typed "toddler busy bags" in the search bar. My sanity was restored! I pinned several ideas, made a list of supplies, and started crafting.

Then! An epiphany! I have three nieces and one nephew in the preschool/toddler age range. I immediately knew what they were getting for Christmas. I made an awesome assembly line and knocked out their gifts in a few days. The bags seem to be a hit with all the kiddos. They're easy to grab and put in your purse or diaper bag when going to appointments or errands. They are helpful during long car trips, too!

Here is the result:

The contents of the busy bags:
I Spy (poly beads, various novelty buttons and wooden letters from Hobby Lobby)
Duplo Counting/Matching (Duplos from our large stash)
Fabric Roads (denim stash, small cars)
Butterfly Symmetry (felt stash)
Block Puzzles  (3/4" wooden blocks)
Popsicle Puzzles (jumbo craft sticks, internet images)
Popsicle Color Matching (felt stash, jumbo craft sticks)
Pom-pom Transfer (pom-poms, artist palette, jumbo tweezers)
Button Snake (felt stash, notions stash)
Doodles Stickers & Stamps (note pad, pipsqueak markers, stamps, stickers)
Clothespin Color Matching (paint chips from a store, clothespins)
Marble Maze (felt stash, extra marbles)
I used these zip bags to hold each activity.