Play Cash Register

I bought a bunch of big frames for my teaching space, and each of them came in a big cardboard box (within another bigger cardboard box). Nice, thick cardboard. I just couldn't throw it out ... I may have a problem.

Ro has been obsessed with the grocery store. He loves picking out the food, putting it on the checkout belt, asking the cashier for stickers, etc. He has a little play kitchen and play food, and a really cute shopping basket, but no way to really play "store" at home. He doesn't have a cash register.

But I had a bunch of cardboard and about 20 minutes free. And really that's all I need.

(Please excuse any out-of-focus pictures ... thyroid disease-induced shaking ... another post for another time).

1. Design:

(the pieces of cardboard were about 20" long, so I made this 10" long, just for convenience)
There is an angled screen and an open area for a drawer that can slide in and out.


To use my measurements, you can download this template picture.

(Also, seriously, I used the Pythagorean Theorem. In real life. Go call your High School Math teacher and apologize.)


2. Measure and cut.

3. Tape together.

 

I used duct tape on the inside of the corners (tricky to maneuver all the pieces and tape the INSIDE, but it looks better). Had to reinforce the drawer with tape on the outside of the front corners because that's the piece you pull to get the drawer out.


4. Decorate.

I used a black sharpie and drew a screen for the checkout (with his favorite foods and their prices), a credit card swipe slot, and a keypad.


5. Fund.

I just cut out some green construction paper and drew presidents on them. Ro doesn't really get it, but I think he knows they are supposed to be dollars. Cut circles from any leftover cardboard and you've got coins. A little rectangle from leftover cardboard can be a credit card (make sure to have a serious discussion with your toddler about financial responsibility before handing over the card).


6. Buy things from around the house.
Gather food and other things, and pretend to buy them. With older kids, you can talk about dollars and making change, but here we're still working on the concept of "I give you money and you give me the stuff I want/need".


7. Post to Pinterest and get famous.
Is it a problem that my financial planning involves Pinterest-based fame? ...

Matchbox Car Parking Garage

So I have a little boy. He plays in dirt and scrapes his knees and LOVES LOVES LOVES Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. His 2nd birthday was all about trains, and now my house is overcome with very tiny modes of transportation that need to be wrangled.

Here is how we WERE storing the cars and things, in a "Cars and Guys" bin.

I wanted something like this:


Some other DIY found on the internets:










So here are some of the things I have lying around the house:


(these are such sturdy boxes, I hate to throw them out)


(There are from the dog food shipments)

Now, what I don't want is saggy shelves like these, which is what you get when you just use tape (as I found with my cardboard play kitchen).




But I had this great idea! Poke holes and use shish-kabob skewers as reinforcement.









Note: Watch out for those sharp pointy ends! I accidentally left this unfinished on the floor, and little boy decided he needed to walk between it and the couch and wound up with some nasty scratches on his legs :(

Cut ends of skewers and tape to box, then tape bottom of shelves to skewers.

Now, Parking Garages need ramps of course. I cut off the box flaps and fashioned a few crude "outdoor" ramps -- I don't think the child is "gentle" enough for inside ramps.

I cut some car-sized holes in the sides and attached a ramp to each level (tape to inside of box).








To finish, park Cars (and planes, trains, boats, etc.)!



I'd like to paint it or cover with a fun-colored tape or something, but we'll see how it holds up first.

** Update. 6/30/13 **

The shelves fell down a few times, so I reinforced with duct tape around the edges. Then I covered the entire thing with duct tape. It's pretty sturdy now.