Why Do I Buy My Children Toys?

It is becoming increasingly more obvious that I really shouldn't be buying my children toys.  After the first twenty-four hours most toys have made their way to the bottom of the toy box never to be played with again. The best toys my kids have played with have either been found free or cheaply at places like the dollar store. Here's some of the improvised toys we've come up with.

• Sticks:  Sticks are Holly's favourite.  The first thing she does when stepping out the front door is to look for a fallen stick.  This stick will not leave her hands for the rest of the day.  Some days she will collect sticks and come home with handfuls, some days she breaks the one she has into smaller pieces but it all boils down to she loves her sticks. [Husband's note: Or the car. There's enough twigs in the back of my car to start a small campfire.]

• Sponges:  I bought a 10 pack of sponges from the dollar store and cut them up.  Jack in particular loved these.  They were light blocks and he made towers, constructed a train out of them, and threw them around (my favourite part about them being sponges).  His favourite game was making towers on each others heads and seeing how high they got before someone inevitably moved.  The sponges I found were also in primary colours so I snuck in some colour lessons while we were playing.  Yes you could do these games with any blocks but for a dollar the price could not be beaten. [Husband's Note: The more astute of you may have gathered that my wife isn't from around here. She is from England, where they insist on putting "u's" where they don't necessarily belong.]

• Cardboard boxes: I don't think this one needs any explanation, kids love boxes and I knew this before having children.  What I have learnt though is young children love the toy boxes.  Jack has spent more time admiring the picture of Thomas on the box than the train that came in the box. [Husband's note: For extra fun, toss your cat in the box with your kids! Make sure you have plenty of Neosporin, Bactine, or your other favorite brand of disinfectant.]

• Balloons: As you saw from the last post Jack just had a birthday and as part of the decorating we bought some balloons and blew them up.  He had the usual fun with the balloons scattered around the room but it wasn't until the next day the real fun was had.  My husband would blow up the balloon and then let it fly around the room.  Both kids went into hysterics ran after the balloon and brought it back. [Husband's Note: Fellow husband's, take note: this activity can be done sitting in your couch drinking beer. I know, I AM a genius.] 

• Laser Pointer:  We got a laser pointer for the cat but our kids have played with it more.  Holly wanders around holding it and Jack chases the red dot.  [Husband's note: That's not entirely true. While Jack has a similar reaction to the cat upon seeing the offending dot the laser produces, Holly realizes that the doohickey that I'm holding is creating it, and thus, SHE MUST HAVE IT! So far, I have succeeded in keeping it from her grasp. I fear with her persistence, it's only a matter of time.]