Copycat: Children's Toy

I was browsing around the Internet looking at different educational toys. Sometimes I use them for preschool and often I use them to entertain babysitting kids. We have some awesome toys. Our favorites are Magformers (look them up...they are AWESOME), Legos, Play-do, and farm animals.

This is all beside the point. I came across Little Memo Game by Djeco. The price I found for it was about $25 plus shipping. But, hold on! I can make that game!!

One of my favorite thrills is to see something that I want and then make it myself for free or cheap! The point of Little Memo seems to be, arrange the little toys and then hide one under a cup. Then the child guesses which one of the toys is hidden under the cup. After they guess, pick up the cup and -Voila!- there is the little toy.

The little cup is sweet and the critters are adorable.

Instead of buying it, this is how I made my copycat.

I first considered using a tunafish can as the cup, but the tuna can is just too small. The can I'm currently using is a canned chicken can. We have these in our food storage. So I whipped up a batch of chicken salad, washed the can and decorated the outside with cute paper. It's still a little short, so when I use the perfectly shaped can, I'll fix up another one.

*My sister Heidi introduced me to a fabulous can opener that folds the sharp edges down! I love it. If you haven't got one, you'll want it for this project! It makes the project safer when kids are helping you.

The next step was the super cute bugs. I looked around at bath tub toys, but wasn't extremely excited about any of them. SO I DIDN'T BUY THEM!!! I love to buy things, but I love being financially responsible more. And I don't like cleaning up a thousand toys that rarely get used. So, NO to the bath tub toys. I do love the bugs and I'm determined to come up with 6 to 10 little toys to store with the can. In the meantime, I gathered some toys that fit nicely under the can. We have various little animals and cars, etc. Look around, I'm sure that you have them, too.

My 2 year old loves to play this with me and so does my 5 year old. Honestly, I think with twenty small items and a lack of sleep, my teenagers would also find it entertaining :D

Since I used the chicken for a meal, I'm counting this project FREE!!

The Little Red Hen Becomes A Foster Parent

The little red hen came across an abandoned and abused duckling one day.

"Who will adopt this duckling?" asked the farmer.

"Not I!" said the cat. "That duckling is dirty and misbehaves."

"Not I!" said the dog. "That duckling does not look like my puppies."

"Not I!" said the horse. "I could not take the heartache if I don't get to keep that duckling."

"I will take the duckling," said the little red hen. "I will love it and feed it and raise it with my little chicks."

"Don't you have enough chicks to raise?" asked the cat. "How can you possibly give them enough attention?"

"You're nest is already a mess!" said the dog. "What a pigsty!"

"That duckling is so young, he probably won't even remember that he has been hurt," said the horse. "You are so lucky to have that duckling."

The little red hen took the duckling home. She raised him with her chicks. The duckling quacked something awful. He left messes long after he was expected to. The duckling was often angry or sad. The duckling was constantly trying to get the other animals to take him home and let him live with their families.

"That little red hen must be abusing the duckling," meowed the cat. "I'd better report her to somebody."

"That little red hen is sure lazy!" barked the dog. "Why isn't she spending more time advancing the duckling's interests?"

"Little red hen, let me teach you how to take care of ducklings," offered the horse.

The little red hen was often tired. Sometimes she wanted to go out and stroll around the farm.

"Who will watch this duckling for me?" she asked.

"Not I!" said the cat. "I have so many mice to catch around the farm."

"Not I!" said the dog. "Maybe the duckling can just go with you?"

"I would," said the horse, "but I can't. Would you like me to enjoy the spring day for you?"

The duckling grew up into a handsome duck. He still struggled socially with the other animals and his judgement was that great, but he was friendly and well-liked.

"It takes a farmyard to raise a duckling," purred the cat.

"That little red hen just didn't try hard enough," grumbled the dog. "If she had just loved him more, the duck would be making better decisions."

"I know a little something about ducklings," whinnyed the horse. "The little red hen could have come to me for advice."

The little red hen watched her chicks grow to chickens and was glad to see them become tolerant and kind-hearted. One day a tiny mouse was found covered in mud and setting up an awful squeal.

"Who will take this little mouse?" asked the farmer.

"Not I!" said the cat.

"Not I!" said the dog.

"Not I!" said the horse.

"I will take the mouse," said the little red hen.

Visting Teaching Conference

Our ward Relief Society is planning its Visiting Teaching conference for the Saturday after Valentine's Day. My idea is to plan the conference around a Valentine theme. Deliver invitations to each sister with the words: Be My Valentine...I'd love to see you at the Visiting Teaching Conference. Decorate tables with white tablecloths and varied Valentine decor. Place a framed picture of the Savior at the center of each display. Sprinkle confetti hearts on the tables. And, finally, lay out several new and unused Valentines on each table. Ask a speaker to center his or her talk around the love of the Savior for each of us and for the sisters in our ward. A special musical number could be "As I Have Loved You." There are several others that would work as well. Then ask the sisters to use the Valentines on the table to acknowledge service done for them by their Visiting Teachers or a sister they visit. An example would be: "I'd like to present Sister Joan Smith with this Valentine. She showed up at my house for a visit just after my two-year-old had painted the kitchen with cooking oil. She spent two hours helping me clean it up." Invite some sisters to be prepared to do this before the conference. As the previously invited sisters are sharing, other sisters will join in. Close the conference with the hymn, "As Sisters in Zion."

Plan on serving the meal first, so that sisters have had a chance to arrive, visit and settle down before the program. Our ward is doing the conference on a Saturday morning with a brunch. I think croissants with cream cheese and raspberry jam filling would be perfect. Serve with cold apple juice and warm ham.

Send each sister home with a magnet or bookmark with the scripture, John 13:34:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.