Sunday, February 6, 2011

Boy Approved Valentine's Crafts - Beanie Bag Toss Game

I have 3 boys so when it comes to events like Valentine's, I have to get creative.  For example, I don't think they'd be all into making glitter crowns.  Or maybe they would.  I didn't ask. 
Either way, I know what my boys like is action.  So we decided to make a bean bag toss.

First, we found some material scraps.  One of these is actually an old scarf that we repurposed.
Pierce helped me trace out heart shapes on the material using a cookie cutter.
Then I cut out the hearts.
You could make this project simplified by just doing standard square bean bags. 
Or you could make it more intensive by adding embellishments to the bags or allowing your child to paint them with fabric paints.
We used one bag of black eyed peas to stuff our hearts.
Pierce was able to really help with the stuffing part. 
I then used a bulk Ramen box.
I cut out a large circle, then cut off about 2 inches of cardboard around the bottom edge so that it would sit at a slight angle, making it easier to toss in the beanies. 
Pierce is very handy with a glue stick, so he helped a great deal in creating our Valentine's creature. 
Final product with beanies: 
Not only did Pierce love playing this, but the twins had a blast tossing beanies too.
Turns out it's great for their coordination, and the boys were all laughing a lot over their wild tosses. 
Making this craft is a little time consuming, so you may want to break it into 2 days.

I'm linking this up with JDaniel4sMom, who is having a fun Valentine's Party.  In celebration, I'll be linking several other Valentine's themed posts to her this week, so stay tuned.  You can also go check out JDaniel4sMom for more great ideas:

23 comments:

jp@A Green Ridge said...

You should go to work with/around little ones! You are so darn creative!!!

Anonymous said...

This is sooooo cute! I love that you made the bean bags! The monster would make JDaniel laugh and laugh.

Jeremi said...

i really love this idea!! we are definitely going to do something like that around here today! great, fun valentine idea (and so cute) but i also love all the other ways we'll be able to use it ..... (the girls balance bean bags on different parts of their bodies during warm-ups in gymnastics).

i'll be checking back, thanks!!
: )
jeremi

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

What a clever idea! I like the heart-shaped bean bags. My daughters would enjoy making the bean bag hearts...a good excuse for them to use the sewing machine!

Nancy said...

Fun and thrifty. Always a good combo when creating a new game for the little ones.

TexWisGirl said...

That is too cute! Great job, wonder mom!

Michael @ adaddyblog.com said...

That's super creative. Love this idea. I guess we're lucky, as we have a little 2 year old girl, so the aforementioned glitter crown would probably be great. I'm dropping by from Mom Loop.

-Michael (from adaddyblog.com)

Valerie Boersma said...

Great idea! And I love that you made it too. I hope you guys have lots of fun playing with it now:)

Texan said...

What a fun and creative thing to do with your boys! or with girls for that matter. Great idea.

Tiggeriffic said...

I wanna come to your house and play...
You and Jdaniels4 are so creative..then there is totally tots and few more of you creative girls..
Goodness to be, I could just come and have so much fun using scissors, glue guns, paste ect. Be a child again..
Thanks for the ideas~! Ben's going to love this one..
ta ta for now from Iowa

Mihaela { Best Toys 4 Toddlers } said...

Very cool! :)

Myya said...

What a great fun idea & super cute too!!!

Angela said...

I LOVE it Lisa! I think I might steal your idea and make one for my sons kindergarten class to do for the Valentine party. They aren't allowed to focus on food at the parties anymore. What's a party without a cupcake? Seriously! Not allowed!

Have a Great Day!
Angela

laughwithusblog said...

How fun! This is a great idea!

Chatty Crone said...

You do so much with the boys - crafts and your fun food - you are a GREAT mom. They are lucky.

sandie

Danielle said...

Adorable! We are definitely making our own this week! I am following from the V-day party on JDaniel4's Mom!

Helene said...

You are such a fun mom!!!! Never in a million years would I have come up with something that cute and fun for my kids to do!!!

It probably doesn't help that I can't even sew a button a shirt!

Life In The Thrifty Lane said...

Such a fun project and I'm sure the kids will love it!! Visiting from JDaniel4's Mom V-Day Party :)

MyKidsMake said...

oh fun!!! my kids will def. have fun with this!! thanks for the idea. can't wait to try it out at our house....

Sandy said...

You are so creative to use things around the house to make a fun toy for them. I have no creativity whatsoever...I am impressed!

jennohara said...

What an awesome idea! Very cute!! Thanks for sharing!
Have I told you how awesome the new around here is? Love it!

Maria said...

What a fun idea!!

Ami Allison said...

OH!!! That is so cute!! I bet my girl would approve too! I'm visiting from JDaniel's Mom:)