As well all know, I love messy art, messy learning, messy messes! I only have one child, but it is my hope and dream that all of my children will play with ice, mud, paint, markers, crayons, and all sorts of recipes before their first birthday. I’ve succeeded with my first. But we must admit, there is a time and place for everything. And sometimes, messes are more than just inconvenient. Almost all of my non-messy learning activities fit into Busy Bags.
Paint chips are the very first busy bag I ever made. Now, my idea of a real busy bag is something that a child can do on their own when I need her to. My 14 month old really isn’t at that stage yet, as she is independent but still loves exploring her surroundings. However, while playing with her, she is more than intrigued. Right now we order from darkest to lightest, and match color shade with other shades of the same color, but the possibilities are endless!
Making the chips is super simple. I went to Walmart and asked for some. Their answer? “Sure, pick as many as you want,” and I didn’t pay a cent. I found some left over cardstock, and Mod Podged it, then put a layer of Mod Podge on top as well. While drying, I placed heavy books on top to keep them from curling, and then I let books sit on them overnight after the top layer dried as well. Cut them apart, and they are ready to go!
I also love crochet, so I made a small carry bag for them that I can throw in a zip lock, and presto! Busy Bag of paint chips!
There are a gazillion things kids can do with paint chips! There are more paint chip crafts and home goods than I can quickly list here, but plan to compile them in the future. Here are some good kiddie activities in the meantime:
Waldorf Type “Pixel” (from The RaRa Home)
Calender (so many different uses/types!)
Puzzles (from Happily Ever Mom)
Matching Games (from Brassy Apple)
Letter Families (from Pink & Green Mama)
Number Recognition (from Reading Confetti)
Pom Pom Match (from Childcareland)
