NEW: Busy Bag Swap
I first saw this on another blog - Unsolicited Advice and thought it was a BRILLIANT idea! She opened up for a new swap and it filled so darned fast that I didn't get a chance to play...SO, I am hosting one here! ( I asked her blessings first...)
We are going to play with the same rules that they do - so hang on and start reading IF you have a kiddo (k-2nd grade) and want to play along. I will take the first 30 people that respond, then close the swap.
She had 2 different groups for the K-2 age group and I am merging them together. (play AND education)
What is a busy bag? A busy bag is a Ziploc bag containing an activity that would give your child something to keep them busy, either with you or without you.
Kdg-2nd grade is the age group we are doing and will have BOTH "play" and "educational" bags.
What the difference between the Play and Educational bags?
The first (play) is a set of activities that are mostly just fun (but may have hidden education in it). These are activities you can hand your child and let them entertain themselves for a while. They should be (hopefully) things that the child will want to do on their own. The goal is not so much to teach them as it is to give them something constructive to do.
The second (math and reading only) is for the sole purpose of teaching your child. These are games or activities that you can use in your home school or to reinforce what they are learning in school. They are not so much made for the purpose of giving your child something fun to do when they're bored as they are to make what they HAVE to do a bit more fun. The activities will be centered on math and reading only.
I will co-ordinate the swap and sort through the top three choices of each swapper and assign activities. I will receive the busy bags from the swappers, compile them into sets for everyone, and then mail them out to each swapper.
Here's how you become a swapper and how the swap will work:
1) Read the instructions, choose your top three choices for an activity to assemble, and then send me an email @ op40k@aol.com . The swap will be open for 48 hours, unless the number of swappers becomes unmanageable.
Sending the email is not a way of expressing interest. It is a commitment to be a part of the swap. It is not fair to the other swappers if a handful of half hearted interest people sign up, only to flake out at some point. That would mean that many people spent time and money assembling 30 activities, but would not receive 30 in return. If you're not sure if you can handle the expense or the time investment at this time, then maybe you should pass this time around. If however, you do sign up with full intentions of participating, but then realize that for some reason you are unable to continue, please let me know right away, so that we can contact someone else who would love to be involved.
2) We will have a group of 30 members and a list of 5 "fill ins" should someone drop out (to try to keep it at 30 people). These five will be taken from those who signed up last, so the sooner you sign up, the more likely you will for sure be a swapper.
3) I will contact you within about 3 days' time with your activity assignment.
4) You then have 2 weeks to assemble your busy bags (30 of the same activity). You need to have them in a box and in the possession of the U.S. Mail service exactly two weeks from the day you were contacted by me, or by the date stated in that email.
5) You should invest no more than about $1 per bag. We're not wanting to spend a fortune here. If you're having trouble sticking with the budget for your activity, please contact me and I will help you figure it all out.
6) Once you have your 30 bags assembled, you would pack them up in whatever size box you like and ship them using any shipping method you prefer to your coordinator.
7) But before you seal the box, visit USPS.com and print a shipping label with postage for a large flat rate box ($14.20).
Shipping change
For legal liability reasons, a package must be mailed the day the shipping label says it was. Since the drop down on the Click-N-Ship label form only gives four days to choose from, there's really no way we can post date the shipping labels late enough to give the swap coordinator time to divvy the activities, package them up, and reship them. It also would not allow for any unexpected delays.
For this reason, it would be best for each swapper to include a check or money order, made out for $14.95, in their package of busy bags.
Please also include a 3x5 card (or equivalent sized paper) with your name and address clearly printed on it. I will use this as a mailing label.
8) Remember, you need to have them in a box and in the possession of the U.S. Mail service exactly two weeks from the day you were contacted by me. We want to make this timely and get these great items into your hands ASAP! :)
If you take the time to assemble the bags, please make sure you send them on time.
10) Once the bags have been sorted and divvied, we will ship them to you, and we then each have a collection of about 30 activity bags to pull out when needed! How cool is that?
OK - NOW, the List of Activities to pick from!
***: Please review the following list of activities. Choose your top three choices of which you would like to create, or let me know if you have another idea that is not listed here. Other ideas are welcome. (While we take your choices into consideration, there is no guarantee that you will be assigned one of your choices.)
You may need to be creative when you brainstorm your activity to make it fit into the budget or into your current stock of stuff around the house. It's OK to deviate from the original instructions.
Check out this list of good deals to be found at Dollar Tree, Target, and Walmart.
Reading/Language Activities
Letter Tiles and CVC Word Speller Cards
(CVC pages only)
Letter Tiles and Long Vowels Word Speller Cards
(Two Vowels Go Walking [ae, oa, etc.] and/or Silent E pages only)
Math Activities
Fraction Action
(For each bag you will need 4 large foam circles, squares, or rectangles [great price at Dollar Tree]. Leave one whole. Write a big 1 in the middle. Cut the second one in half. Write 1/2 on each piece. Third one in 1/3s, and the last one in 1/4s. Child will treat the pieces as a puzzle. They must put them together to create 4 whole shapes.)
(Number Line Stickers are at Dollar Tree in the teachers' section.)
Math Circles or Felt Number Tiles (with +, -, x, division, and =)(Unless you love to cut circles or have a 1.25" - 1" circle punch, you might not want to commit to the math circles, or maybe cut them in squares instead.)
Science Activities
(A magnet and several small objects to test magnetic response on. A chart to record findings)
Other Skills
Just for Fun
(A roll of masking tape and a list of tape activity ideas)
Hardware Play
(Nuts, bolts, and other inexpensive hardware)
Chalk Games - Annihilation and London Calling
(Sidewalk chalk and an inexpensive water gun. Write words or answers to math sums or pics or anything on sidewalk. Parent (or other child) calls out words, math problems, etc. and player squirts the answer. Continue until all words, etc. have disappeared. London Calling instructions linked above.)
(Only with pom-poms instead of marshmallows to avoid spoilage)
(About halfway down the page)
(I'm unsure on the cost of Lycra fabric. I don't know if this would fit a $1/bag budget.)
Eye Spy Bottle (less the bottle)
(Can be smaller than 16 Popsicle sticks. Perfect if you have lots of old magazines or calendars.)
(Parents can give their child and egg carton and maybe let the child rummage through the kitchen junk drawer for other things to play with along with the beads. My 6 year old really enjoys this. You could maybe include yarn, if it's in the budget, in case they want to make jewelry.)
Felt Owl Kit (we are doing it -- super cute and can be glued together or sewn.)
Play dough and Play dough Mat(s)
(Made from similarly patterned paper [hard to differentiate] or from felt or card stock of all one color with different cut patterns... to make it harder for big kids)
(Could use plastic cups rather than containers. This could be played alone as well, and would not have to be so complicated... just try to bounce the ball in a cup. Two or three cups could be placed in a line so that the last is farther away. Each cup could be a different score.)
(This requires a small block of wood, like a 2x4. If you've got scraps lying around or are not intimidated by power tools, like some people {ahem}, then this might be perfect for you.
Pinchers and Small Items
(Salad servers or something like it [check Dollar Tree] and small items like pom poms [or anything else that would work]. Child uses the pinchers to pick up items.)
Ocean in a Bag (less the white hand soap)
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