Before I had baby number 3 I decided to make some quiet time activities for my toddler. My idea was that I could pull these items out when I needed to feed the baby so he would be occupied, quiet, and hopefully distracted long enough for me to get through a feeding. He really enjoys playing with the things I created. Today I'm going to share with you 2 projects that I made using magnets.


Magnetic Me: I found this cute idea from Creative Juice. I loved the idea but made it a little differently. This was a really easy project and cost me less than $10 to make:

Supplies:
Tin Box (bought a metal pencil case at Wal-Mart for less than $5)
Cardstock Paper
Adhesive Magnetic Sheets (bought at Wal-Mart for $2)
Scissors
Glue & Paint Brush (to spread the glue)
Decorative Paper
Photo of your child (preferably a nice head shot against a plain background)

I bought a Tinkerbell metal pencil box at Wal-Mart to use for this project. I covered the outside of it with paper to hide the design. Just lay the box on your paper (I used scrapbook paper) and trace it and then cut out the top, brush some glue on and glue the paper over the top. Easy! I then just cut some strips and glued them around the sides. Set it aside and let it dry while you work on the rest.

You need to print the fun stuff. I used "photo props" that I found online for free. I used the ones that Creative Juice recommended (see her post) and I also searched google images for "photo props", "mustache clip art", "glasses clip art", "kids masks", etc... whatever you can think of. I copied the images into a word doc. I put the picture of my son that I was using in the document and sized it to a 4" x 6" that way I could make sure the images I was going to print would be the correct size. Once you are done sizing your images, print them on cardstock paper. Cut them out and stick them to your adhesive magnetic sheets. ***I highly recommend laminating the pieces before you stick the magnets to them. It will make them last forever and let's face it, after you so all this work you want it to last! I have a lamination machine at home that I picked up on Amazon and it's great for these craft projects.

Last step is to glue the photo of your child to the inside lid of your container. Put all the magnet pieces on the other side and you are done. This will be a huge hit with kids and would make a great gift!

Project 2 - Kids love magnets. Kids love characters. LIGHTBULB! This project was really easy and only cost me a few dollars to make.

Supplies: 
Cookie Sheet (bought one for $1 at Dollar Tree)
Cardstock paper
Scissors
Adhesive magnet sheets or strips

Search Google for your kids favorite characters. The possibilities are endless. I did Mario Brothers, Disney Cars, Pokemon, Animals, etc... Copy the images you find to a Word document and then print on cardstock. I highly recommend that you laminate them so they will last.

Once you have your images just cut some magnet strips and stick them to the back and you're ready to go. Need to know what your toddler is up to while you are trying to make dinner? Just give them a bag of these magnets and they will be playing on the fridge where you can see them but not right under your feet! Need to catch up on your emails? Stick some magnets to the metal filing cabinet in your home office and keep them entertained. They can also play with these on the go with the cookie sheet.