Trish’s Pin It & Do It Challenge
I decided to jump in at the easiest level and try a few things for Gage. Pinterest is a great place to find toddler activities. The two I tried are going to seem silly because they’re so basic, but the truth is that the easiest and most basic things rarely occur to me!
First up a Gage activity. My original pin is here. The original post is here. Basically it’s a basket activity that helps fine motor skills. You put lots of different containers that open in various ways in a basket (I used his dry water table), show him how each one opens and then let him play. Here’s the set up
The beauty of this activity is how simple it is. I spent 15 minutes going around the house collecting things and this translated to about 20 minutes of fun for Gage.
Here’s a picture with his favorite, the bubbles bottle
Do you see the concentration? There were some he couldn’t do on his own, but by showing him how maybe he’ll be able to do it next time. He did have fun and I collected it all to bring out another day. I’ll see what other goodies I can add.
The key for these types of activities is the presentation (I’ve seen some sites call it the invitation). This and the alphabet box were successful in part because I presented them as something special and he recognized that.
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Now on to the food portion. This was also for kids, but, hey, maybe you want to surprise your husband tonight, LOL.
This picture is from Cake From the Soul, although I’m not sure if she’s the originator. My pin is here.
I fixed this last night for dinner and it works! Cut some hot dogs (we used nitrite-free turkey dogs), poke the thin spaghetti through and boil. Easy peasy. I think this would be great for older kids. Gage was not all that impressed. He did eat some but it was definitely more fun for me to make than for him to eat 🙂
Stacy's Books 
He is really concentrating on that bubble lid and I can tell he wasn’t impressed with your culinary efforts. I used to put a little soap and water in the kitchen sink and give Vance a bunch of plastic containers and let him have at it. It would keep him busy for a long time. He would make a mess but it was totally worth it.
So cool to see someone tried the hot dog thing. I loved the idea when I saw it on Pinterest! Gage is so cute when he concentrates!!!
I love that spaghetti hot dog idea. Might be fun for lunchboxes too.
Stacy, all I can think is ewwww but my sweetie and our daughter will totally love, lol. Will try it 🙂
That is such a cute idea. Maybe Gage will appreciate it more next year. I love the face!
The hot dogs and spaghetti always makes me laugh whenever I see that pin. Too bad Gage was less than impressed.
I finally tried a few of my pins out recently too. I made cinnamon sweet bread (yum) and some egg-less cookie dough balls (I’m not completely sure I liked them). More over I was glad I actually used something from pinterest.
LOVE IT!!! I’ve seen those hotdog things around Pinterest for over a year now and I’m thrilled to see someone made them. Maybe in a few years Gage will truly appreciate. 😉 And such a sweet picture of him opening that bottle!
I really need to get on Pinterest and find some activities for Elle. I’m terrible about just toting her around with me on the weekends because home is so boring (also praying for cooler weather soon so we can actually spend time outside).
fun stuff! I started doing this challeng and I forgot about it.
I agree — the simplest things often work the best but they don’t always occur to you. I was the same way!!! And I totally have to try that hot dog/spaghetti thing — it looks so crazy!
LOL the spaghetti hotdog idea is so cool, my boys would have loved that, I’m sure Gage will in another year or two. Cute photos of the basket activity, Gage was obviously fascinated with it!
My daughter would have loved those hot dogs. Maybe I’ll try that one day when she’s being really picky. I bet she’d have fun making them herself. I think it’s cute to see how hard he is concentrating. You can tell he’s a smart cookie.
I saw the spaghetti and hot dog ones on the internet and thought it was hysterical! Love the photo of him trying to pick it up!