I Spy Bottle

For reasons too boring to get into, I had a large amount of trinkets and beads that I couldn't decide what to do with. I've seen some really cool I Spy pillows at craft shows (they look like this to give you an idea of what I'm talking about: Eye Spy Bags), but didn't really want to break out the sewing machine right now. So, I created an I Spy bottle for Pinky. While I think that she is too young to really search and find all the items in the bottle, I thought it may keep her busy for awhile just looking at all the neat stuff. It took me less than 10 minutes to put together. All you need is a clean, empty 2o oz plastic bottle, rice, trinkets and a way of securing the lid (I chose duct tape). Here is the result of my efforts:

My hidden trinkets included various beads and sequins, a rubberband, a screw, a pompom, a penny, a button, a googly eye, a broken crayon, a glass marble, a flower eraser, and a dry wall anchor. Make sure when you make this that you take a picture of your trinkets or make a list of everything you included so you know when you've found everything. Try to mix lightweight items (like the beads and sequins) with heavier objects (the penny and screw). Light items tend to float on top of the rice and could be used to make the game easier for younger kids, while heavier items sink to the middle and add a challenge to the game.

As a bonus, Chaos also thought it was a great music maker. This would make a great toy for an older kid and would be wonderful for long car trips.