May 1: Baby Treasure Basket



Oooo!  What's this?



In the past few days I have spent hours online reading other blogs and gathering ideas to do with the kids.  I am so excited to have found some ideas for Brielle!  I spend tons of time with Ty and Koen and am sad that I've "neglected" her when it comes to activities and projects.  Now that she's one-year-old I'm going to try to include her more often (though it's often just plain easier to do things with the boys while she sleeps).

Her first activity:  The Baby Treasure Basket (original idea found HERE at "The Imagination Tree").  Of course, there are themed basket ideas, but I just went through the house and found 20 interesting items.  Maybe I'll be organized enough in the future to do a themed basket, but for now this works just fine.  In Brielle's Treasure Basket is a:

• Funnel
• Spatula
• Rice in a Tupperware container to shake
• Stuffed animal
• Play-doh shape
• Clapper
• Cup
• Duplo block
• Toy giraffe
• Textured ball
• Little People pig
• Soft football
• Toy eye glasses
• Wooden goose
• Truck
• Plastic pot
• Wooden play cheese
• Pez
• Teaspoon
• Enclosed bead game (garage sale freebie)

I placed these items in a basked we already owned and let her begin exploring.  She played with the items and the basket for a good half-hour, with the spatula and the rice container being her two personal favorites. 

Koen was intrigued by the idea of a treasure basket and thought he should have one, too!  Personally, I think he was excited about the "treasure" prospect.  He found another basket and begin filling it with some of his favorite things:  his stuffed puppy, a rubber band, a musical toy, etc.  He may not need to discover, explore, and experience things like his little sister, but I thought it was cute that he created his own.

Big Brother helps take everything out of the basket...inspecting everything as he goes.



The spatula:  a perfect teething toy!