Messy Glory: Busy Bags

And now for the other half of our laid-back homeschool summertime plans…BUSY BAGS. Busy Bags are an extension of a little something I put together for David when Lida was born. He had a special Busy Box that contained a new surprise every couple days. It was always something small and inexpensive, but new and exciting to him. Most importantly, it was always something he could enjoy without much (or any) assistance from me. The idea was that he would have a special surprise to keep him busy while I was busy nursing Lida (hence the name Busy Box). The Busy Box was a bit hit, but it fell by the wayside as we all adjusted to having Lida around. I’ve revived the idea in a new form: Busy Bags!

I’m pulling together all sorts of activities David can enjoy during those times this summer when he seems to need a bit of direction or something to keep him occupied when I’m not able to give him my full attention. There is a wealth of ideas online, and I’ve frequented several blogs including My Delicious Ambiguity and Unsolicited Advice (I’m hoping I can get in on one of her busy bag swaps eventually). As I put together bags, I just toss them in a large tub labeled “Busy Bags Ready to Use” and that way I have a bunch on hand when the current selection gets old and we’re ready for some new activities. At any given time, I plan to have 6-8 busy bags in a basket in our living room for David to explore as he pleases (and also as a convenient way for me to suggest activities for him).

Here is a rundown of the busy bags that have been available to him so far this summer:

THREE-PART VEHICLE MATCHING CARDS

David has really enjoyed using these cards in the past, but they are definitely not a “do-it-by-myself” activity for him. There are about 18 vehicles (3 cards each) and all the cards are double-sided. Plus, several of the vehicles look similar (3 slightly different camouflage trucks, for example), which made it very difficult for David to match them up on his own. To simplify the activity, I put the cards needed for just three vehicles in one of the pockets of a baseball card protector page. There are six pages in the folder, but since the cards are already separated out, David can work on just one page at a time.

SEWING CARDS

Another twist on an activity we’ve done before: I used a Sharpie to write a D (for David!) and a 4 (his age!) on two of the cards so that he could sew along the lines.

COLOR-YOUR-OWN STICKERS

MAGNETIC DINO BOOK

DRY ERASE NOTEPAD & MARKER

FELT BOARD & FELT LETTERS

CLOCK & TIME CARDS

The cards are taken from a time-telling bingo game. I picked out just the o’clock cards for now. This turned out to be an activity that was easiest and most enjoyable when David had a little help. Keith or I would tell him the time on a card and then he would make the clock show that time and check his work by looking at the card.

NUMBER CARDS W/STICKERS