Free DIY Toddler Toys

I'm cheap, especially on the subject of toys.  Sometimes, it's just really hard to know if your kid is going to love that thing they want at the store.  I'm sure we have all been burned on this before.

My son is almost 2, so these are toys for toddlers.

1. Cars through a tube.

You do need to have some cars on hand for this one, but we seem to collect them without much trouble.  If you really can't find any you can afford, then ask someone who has older boys if you can have or borrow two or three cars.  This could also work with other toys you have around -- small bouncy balls, small plastic figures, etc.

The tube is a photo tube we got in the mail when we ordered a large print from Snapfish.  I like it because it is sturdy and has caps -- so, we can clean up by stashing all the cars inside the tube.  But, a wrapping paper or toilet paper tube could work, too.

Putting cars through a tube is about 800% more fun than playing with cars when you do not have a tube.  It's a tunnel, a slide, or a thing to look through depending on the mood.  Also great fun at the park, where you can half-bury it in the sand or dirt, or just stuff it full of mulch.

2. Pennies into the slot.

My son loves to put money into the piggy bank, so I made him this toy so we could do it whenever he wanted, instead of whenever we had change on hand.  Technically, this toy requires some pennies, but consider it a 10 cent deposit, since you can have them back later.

I used a container we got at the grocery store with some bulk raisins, so technically we did pay for it.  But, they have them there for free, and if your grocery store doesn't have these, you could also use a cheap tupperware or cardboard box. I used a kitchen knife to score the top on both sides and then popped out the slit in the top.

3. Color matching game.

I got this idea from Pinterest.  That user got really cute Disney color cards and them modge-podged them onto cardstock.  I could not find cute Disney paint.  I went to Home Depot and was planning to get some of the paint chip/sample cards and cut them up, glue them to cards, etc.  BUT, when I got there, it turns out that they have these fancy extra large color-saturated paint cards that are perfectly fine to use all by themselves, no gluing or anything.  Just get two of each main color: red, orange, yellow, etc.  Yes, they all have the name of the color written on the back, but I figure by the time my son can read this game will be long gone anyway.

The best part is, he has gotten excited about naming all the colors since we started playing this last week, so he is learning at the same time.  Yay!

4. Stacking cups.

These cups were left over from a party we had last year when we catered in some food from a BBQ place.  Any plastic or paper cups will work; they do not even need to be the same size (although, if you want clean up to be neat and tidy, it helps).  We have others from an annual beer festival, and a few from nearby restaurants ... if you don't have anything on hand, ask around.  At my old job, the kitchen cabinets were full of these from business lunches and no one ever remembered to use them.

Simply begin stacking them into a pyramid and your child will be drawn to the need to kick it or smash it to the ground.  If they get bored of that, let them stack them up and you can smash them down.  Endless fun.

Metro Rail Ride Downtown -- a $2 Date with your kid

Looking at Austin's MetroRail commuter train, you could be forgiven for thinking it is lame.  I mean, it only goes from a parking lot in the middle of suburbia to downtown; there is little, if anything, within walking distance of the stops until you hit the end of the line; and it doesn't even operate on the weekends, when you might actually want to go downtown.  It seems strictly created for the few people who live in the suburbs and need a ride to their 9 to 5 jobs.  Not me and my kid, surely.

But! It is secretly an awesome outing.  It is cheap -- $1 each way and kids under 6 ride for free.  A lot of things that are free for babies have a cut off age that is a lot younger than 6, so this is a bargain.  We make a habit of parking at the Crestview station.  It is about a twenty minute train ride to the downtown station, which isn't too long for the little ones.  There is plenty of free parking and the area is green, sunny, and delightfully deserted in the middle of the day.  When your kid runs off screaming because he thinks he sees a bus around the corner on Lamar, you can dump whatever you're carrying and dash after him him. Or maybe my kid is the only one who does this.  He really loves buses.

For those who are similarly inclined, there are many buses to watch from the windows of the train.  They gather at the MLK and Plaza Saltillo stations to whisk more businessy-minded people off to their Important Things. My kid was very excited to see them, all in a row, like he was visiting bus heaven.  That reminds me, I need to do another post on Bus Heaven; I know where it is if anyone has been wondering.  Downtown, of course, is loaded with buses -- and activity of every kind.  Standing on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Trinity is probably thrilling enough for some kids (and completely free).

If you need a little more than just watching traffic to satisfy you, we've discovered a few other things that are within a pretty close walk.  Strolling down Trinity past Cesar Chavez takes you to the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail.  The Austin Rowing Club is not far to the left, and if you visit one of the docks nearby, you can probably see people rowing and crew teams practicing.  And, for a while at least, you can still see a cow statue hidden under the Congress Avenue bridge.  The Four Seasons is right there as well, and on the hillside looking out over the lake they have chairs, rocks to climb on, and hammocks.  If you hang out there, one of the sweet waiters from the cafe might come out and ask you if you want breakfast.  You could do worse than buying a coffee to go, because he will probably bring it to you on a fancy tray loaded with hotel coffee luxuries.  And then you can sip it from a hammock.  There are worse ways to spend a morning.

Walking over to Congress and 2nd, there are a few food trucks in an empty lot.  The coffee truck is open for breakfast and the others, Snap Pod and a kebab truck, are open for lunch.  If you have a kid who runs into traffic, it's not the calmest place to go for a snack, but hey, maybe you have a kid who likes to sit on your lap.  And if you do, and someday you notice me staring at you from the curb with the vise-like grip on my child, um, I'm just a little jealous.

A few more blocks away is the Austin Children's Museum.  They have story time at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm.  Plus, of course, plenty of things to climb on, play with, and explore.  I keep hearing complaints about this museum, because apparently other towns have better ones.  But there is have a book corner and an aquarium and this thing that you can put golf balls in and watch them roll down a slide.  We don't really need much more than that these days.

If you keep going, you can reach City Hall.  If you go now, you can visit the Occupy Austin protest -- it's mostly kid friendly.  I heard some swear words and shouting, but didn't see anything terrible when I took my kid a few weeks back.  When the protesters are gone, there are often other public events, like free music, on the plaza outside.

Yes, buying coffee or lunch or a museum entry makes the day a little more expensive, but you really can have lots of fun just walking around for free.  If you wind up missing the train and can't wait an hour for the next one (yes, it really takes an hour for the next one), you can simply catch the #1 bus all the way back to the Crestview station.

If you go, you'll need:

• snacks and water for the kiddos -- it's hard to find a place to buy cheerios by the convention center.
• a stroller or sling or baby-carrying-device
• $2 -- the machines even take credit cards and bus passes, so maybe you don't even need that
• good walking shoes for mom/dad

More info:

http://www.capmetro.org/

Photos courtesy Lucky Locavore