Wilderness Bottle: One simple one was using an empty, cleaned out 2 liter soda bottle (Dr Pepper, of course!). I took Sophie outside, filled the bottle with sticks, leaves, acorns, pieces of pine cones, and anything else I could find that would add noise and color to the bottle. I put the lid back on, and voila! Unfortunately, she doesn't play with it much. It is quite boring after a few shakes apparently. :)
Metal lids: Ever notice how many items in the kitchen come with metal lids on them? Salsa jars, pasta sauce jars, bacon bits jars, etc. I have collected 15-20 of those lids, cleaned them really well, and let Sophie play with them. They are different sizes and make different noises depending on the size when you bang them together. My original plan was to put a hole through the middle of each one, string them all up with a ribbon, and make a loop out of it. Then, it would be a toy that Sophie could swing around that made lots of noise! Plans are good, but that never happened. I wasn't able to get a hole through the middle, so I neglected that idea and just let her play with them individually. Sophie is entertained with these more than most of her 'real' toys we have. I put them in a bag and also let her take them out, which seems interesting for her despite how simple it all is (watching her closely with the bag, of course).
Cloth pull: This is an idea that's been going around the internet a few months now, but I finally did it. I had an old disposable wipes container that's been just sitting there waiting for a purpose. After picking up a clearanced fabric piece at the store, I was able to make it into a toy for Sophie. I cut the fabric up into about 15 long strands. Then, I placed them in the container, starting one coming out of the top. I worked with Sophie on opening the top part so that she could do it all by herself. She then pulls out each piece, not-so-neatly placing it aside, then pulling the next one out. She loves it! When she pulls them all out, I put them back in and she goes at it again. She even seems to like pulling them out when the entire top is opened, not just the smaller opening. Easy, yet a great distraction!
The best part about all of these toys was I used things I already had, excluding the fabric scrap. The kitchen uses so many items that just end up being thrown away. I now find myself thinking before throwing things away, "Can I think of anything to make out of this?" I have a few more things up my sleeve that I haven't sat down to do yet, but I will eventually. :)
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