Reduce, Reuse, Recycle : Homemade Guitar, Video Camera, games

Kids love to help you create something with them (it's like magic to them) and then use it as a functional thing (cool).

For the longest time...I always wished on Christmas eve, that I would wake up & magically be able to play the piano or guitar. I wish my son would be a gifted musician...but I know I should allow him to explore many interests and let nature take it's course-he is after all only 2 years old :) Bearing in mind that kids want & need variety, I decided to utilise my creative side to make my son a guitar instead of spending money on a quality guitar as he plays rough at the moment & I don't know if his interest will be a 3 min thing or longer. So instead of buying a guitar for him (which can be tuned and play like an adult guitar, except it's for kids aged 3 years + & cost about $15 from a shop at IMM)...

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I made him one from recycled items I found at home-boxes & rubber bands (cut a little into the boxes for the rubber bands to stay in place). We made it together & he loved the quality time spend creating the guitar and the joy of having a new interactive toy. I have since upgraded his guitar to a $4 one and if he learns to treat it with care and continue to love strumming it...I'll buy him that fantastic guitar for his 3rd birthday :)

Actually, when I taped all those toilet rolls together...I was just trying to use all the rolls I had to make them into something...anything. I thot it could be used to see through like a telescope. My imaginative son has been using it as a camera & video camera-asking us to pose for him and he gets into all sorts of positions (even lying on the floor) to get a great shot. He is soooo cute and creative.

You can put an assortment of boxes of all shapes & sizes together and teach your child about shapes. Cut out various shapes on paper & they can put them into the matching box shape. Or collect bottle caps and you can play together to throw the caps into the boxes. My son enjoys this homemade game and he learns to count as he throws the caps into the boxes.

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This is our latest new Recycled Game-Hit the ping pong ball unto the egg tray :P

Do share your ideas by clicking on comments below! Lets help each other teach our kids / cousins / friends to be Green. We can start a list of useful common home items to recycle for creative, fun & free play time that's helping to save our environment :) Kids have the opportunity to practice being more creative when they learn to make their own toys & games with whatever is around the home. It's also FREE so you can save $ for ice-cream treats (do look out for future blog post on ice-cream).