How to build a Duplo Marble Maze

Having moved to Germany, leaving all my daughter's toys behind, we were very lucky to inherit a lot of toys from my husband's childhood. Being the tinkering, building type he is means that a lot of the toys he owned are building blocks, Lego and the larger version Duplo. Most of the time my daughter uses the Duplo to build towers. She doesn't mind when they fall over, which they do and often, she just rebuilds and asks me to join her. As you can see in the photo she has sometimes managed to build towers about a foot taller than herself!

 Me personally, I am sick of building Duplo towers! It's OK for say 20 minutes a day but after that 20 minute mark I am looking to escape.  I mean there has to be more to Duplo than just building towers right?  That's when I remembered watching this clip on YouTube where someone had built a Lego maze for their hamster to run through. Now we might not have a hamster but we do have marbles! And so our Duplo marble maze was born.  

Here are the instructions for how to build one yourself. 

What you will need

• Large Duplo board
• Duplo bricks of various sizes
• one marble
• Eager adult and child ready to build! 

First start by building a single layer of bricks around the perimeter of your board. Once you've done that decide where your marble maze is going to start and where it will finish. Once you have decided, start putting bricks around leaving 2 nob spaces free for your path. If you have enough Duplo pieces it is better to build all the walls 2 bricks up so that the marble doesn't fall out of the maze when it's moved around. We unfortunately don't have that much so the marble gets lost every now and then.

You can make it easy for young children by setting up a single path towards the finish. This is the easiest version we were able to come up with. Start is at top right hand corner and finish is the bottom left hand corner.

 To make it harder you can create nooks like in a real maze that trick you or block the marble from reaching its goal. These are just small nooks and don't take much moving of the board to get out of. The path itself is also pretty easy because it starts with needing to slant to the left, then across towards the top of the photo and then to the right, back towards the end again. See photo below.

This is what I like to think is the hardest maze I've made yet! See photo below.

 Well I thought it was a really hard maze but it only took 2 struggling turns before the little one mastered it. Unfortunately I didn't get  those first two attempt on video but here's a few photos of her playing with one of the mazes I made.

As you can see to play you just put the marble in the start position and move the board around to get the marble to move through the maze. Darling daughter likes to roll the marble back to the start position after she's got it through the maze. Back and forth, back and forth...

What I as a parent love about this game is that it is easy to increase the complexity of the game. Also it's easy to create a new maze, a few blocks moved and bingo! I also think it's a game that can entertain children of varying ages. I can imagine young toddlers or babies getting a big kick out of watching the marble move around, even if an adult has to do it for them and of course you could build this with Lego too, challenging older children by designing more complex mazes.It also gets you thinking creatively and challenging yourself to make harder mazes sure beats building those one brick towers!

If you give this idea a go please let me know how you went and send a photo of your hardest maze design. I'd love to share them and set up a bit of a slide show on this blog.

Thanks for reading and as always happy playing!

Hand Clapping around the world

Just a quick post to share with you some of the Youtube clips I watched the other day while doing some research for my previous post Old school games: Hand Clapping. Hope you enjoy!

Please if you have come across or have yourself made a video involving a hand clapping game please leave a comment with a link to your video. I'd love to feature more videos like these. 

From Japan... check out the coordination!

Here's one from Liberia, Africa. What struck me here is that the clapping patterns they use are EXACTLY the same as what I remember doing in Melbourne, Australia in the 1980's!

How to sew a draw-string bag tutorial

It has become very obvious to us that marbles are a nusaince to keep track of. They seem to get under furniture, behind book cases and I think my daughter loves leaving them around the house just as much as she likes playing with them. I have to admit having marbles here, there and everywhere is making me lose my marbles so I've decided to suprise my daughter with her very own draw-string marble bag. In case you are also in need of a draw-string bag for marbles or any other small toys and bits and pieces here is a tutorial on how to sew one.

What you will need

• Sewing Machine
• Scissors or rotary blade cutter
• Ruler or measuring tape
• Safety pin and sewing pins
• Cutting mat if using a rotary blade cutter
• Pen or anything to make marks on fabric
• 2 pieces of fabric, any non-stretch material, cotton, linen, polyester, gingham
• 2 pieces of ribbon 

First you will need to use your scissors or rotary cutter to cut 2 pieces of fabric 12 inches x 10 inches.







If you want you can now go over the edges with a zig zag stitch to clean up edges and stop fraying do this now around all sides of both pieces of fabric. I recommend it as sometimes the holes where the ribbons are threaded through tend to come through and fray.






Using your ruler or measuring tape, measure from the top of bag and make 2 marks at 3 inches, then at 4 inches along the longer side of the bag. Mark both sides of bag in the same manner.  See photo below.

Put both pieces of fabric right sides facing each other and pin in place. Set up your sewing machine on straight stitch and start sewing leaving a 1/4" seam from the edge of fabric. Sew back and forth a few stitches to anchor your sewing. Stop at the 3 inch mark and then start again at the 4 inch mark so you have a 1 inch gap for your ribbon to go through. Continue sewing along the side and bottom edge and then back up the other side, again stopping and starting again at the 4 inch and 3 inch marks. See photo.


Now you can leave the bag just as is or you can get a little fancy on the bottom corners. The bag will sit open a bit better and it just looks a little nicer, I think. But this really is an optional step. To make the bottom corners a little fancy, put your hand in the bag and open up the corner. Fold so that the corner forms a triangle. With your fingers on the outside feel that both seams are touching each other. Then press flat and put under the machine to sew. See photo below as I really find this tricky to explain.


Sew across the triangle like this about an 1.5 inches from the triangle's top point. Repeat on other side. Once you do that you end up with something like this.








Flip 2 inches of the top into the bag to form the casting where the ribbon will go through. Using a straight stitch sew a 1/4 of an inch from the edge of the casting.

Cut two pieces of ribbon 23 inches in length. Put a safety pin through the end of one of the pieces of ribbon. Thread through one hole until you come back to the same hole. Once you have done that tie the two ends together with a knot. Do the same again with the other piece of ribbon but thread through the other hole.











And there you have it! Your own draw-string bag for all those amazing marbles. Of course this simple bag would be great for all sorts of game pieces and toys. If you want something bigger or smaller just adjust the size of the fabric pieces and the length of the strings.

Happy sewing and happy playing!

Old school games: Hand Clapping

Under the Bambushes,

Under the Sea

Boom, boom, boom

True love for you my darling

True love for me

Boom, boom, boom...

If you ask me if I remember playing hand clapping games as a kid I'd say "Of course" if you ask me what hand clapping rhymes I can recall well the above verse is the whole kit and caboodle, oh and something like 'girls are sexy made out of Pepsi? Well at least I think that was part of a hand clapping rhyme. I must admit that my younger sister has recently refreshed my memory of the classic Miss Mary Mack having sat with my daughter to teach her the rhyme. Did you know there is more than one verse to Miss Mary Mack ? I didn't until recently. 

For this initial post about hand clapping games I wanted to delve into the history of the game, but you know what?, I'm finding it seriously difficult to find anything. History does seem to be written more often about things that occupied the male domain, and to be more precise the 'white' male domain, which makes me think that this could be the reason for limited literature on the subject. From your own memories and experiences I'm sure you would agree it is something of  a 'girl thing'. 

What I HAVE found is that some clapping games, call-and-response games, as Meredith Eliassen states, are derived from African music and traditions. The finger game Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake, Bakers Man, or what I like to think of the baby's first clapping game, has been linked to 17th century English writer and poet Tom D, Urfrey, with the actions that accompany, being invented by 19th century writer Lydia Maria Child. Apparently there is also evidence of hand-clapping games in the 17th century painting Children's Games by artist Peter Bruegel, but I am yet to really see where that is in the painting. 

Here's an image of the painting. Can you find the hand clapping? Click on the image to see a larger version.

 Here's a piece of the painting I think MIGHT be depicting hand clapping. What do you think? 

Anyhow as I mentioned it seems quite an effort to find anything more on the history of hand clapping games. I did read somewhere that these games were also played in Ancient Rome, but it was just a one-line mention.

One thing that seems to be certain is that girls still enjoy playing this game. If you get on a crazy Youtube session like I did, clicking one link after another, you will also come to realise that this game has no borders and crosses over many cultures and languages. There are girls in Japan, Korea, America, Canada, Australia, Ghana, just to name a few, doing this hand clapping thing. In pairs, in groups, in school yards, on the street, the ultimate portable and free entertainment system!

 And for those of you who answered NO to the question 'Did you know there are more than one verse to Miss Mary Mack?' Here is the full version. Share it perhaps with your sister/s!

Miss Mary Mack

 Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,
All dressed in black, black, black,
With silver button, button, buttons,
All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother,
For fifty cent, cent, cents,
To see the elephant, elephant, elephants,
Jump the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high,
They touched the sky, sky, sky,
And didn't come back, back, back
Till the fourth of July, July, July. 

(July can't walk, walk, walk

July can't talk, talk, talk

July can't eat, eat, eat

With a knife and fork, fork, fork).

She asked her mother, mother, mother

For 5 cents more, more, more

To see the elephants, elephants, elephants

Jump over the door, door, door.

They jumped so low, low, low

They stubbed their toe, toe, toe

And that was the end, end, end,

Of the elephant show, show, show!

Book review: The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business

Whilst our focus here is on play, I've decided that  occassionally I will review a children's book that I enjoyed as a child or that we are enjoying at the moment. For me, reading to your child  is one of the most important and memorable things you can do. It's the one time in the day where you have to be there, mentally and physically, with your child otherwise the pages just don't get read. As most of you know, it's a lovely way to get ready for bed or to spend a cold afternoon snuggled up. And with a local library and membership card, it's practically for free! I say practically because if you're anything like me you may find yourself forever paying late fees. I know, I know I only have myself to blame!

 I don't really remember being read to. I remember bringing home readers from school and having to read to my mum, but being read to.. Hmmm maybe it's more common place now with literacy and literacy experiences being pushed more by governments. What are your childhood experiences with being read to? Eitherway I think it is important to share books as a family and for that reason alone and the fact that it means more screen-free time, I'm going to use my some of my posts to review and share what I deem to be an awesome children's book!

For today's review I present what's become a classic children's book that is chock full of toilet humor. And one thing's for sure toilet humor in our family agrees with everyone! There's nothing like a fart or poo joke to crack up our little family.

Happy Playing presents...

Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat

  or The English version...  

The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business

Written by  Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch.

In the pages of this book you will find the story of a little mole who's been disgraced in the most unimaginable way possible, who then goes out to find the perpetrator, and upon having found him takes sweet revenge. Yes people all this from a children's book!

In a little more detail and a little less drama, this is the story of a mole who popping his head out of the dirt one morning finds himself pooed on. He then goes out into the world ot beasts (farm animals) asking those he finds if they are responsible. In doing so we as the readers get quite an education in animal poop, what it looks like, what it sounds like, and what it smells like. I won't go on much more as I don't want to give the story away but I will repeate that revenge is had!

In all seriousness this tale will have you and your little ones in stitches! It is quite clever and I personally love the languaged used to describe the way different pooes fall, words such as (in the German version anyway) rumpsdi pumps to describe horse plops and platsch-klatschte for bird poo splatters.

So if you haven't already shared this one with your family then please get out to your local library and borrow it, sit back, snuggle up and enjoy. And forgive anyone who farts while reading it!

Happy reading and happy playing! 

Old school games: Marbles!

Who here remembers playing Marbles as a kid? I personally didn't play myself, but I do remember watching other kids play it. The neighbour's boys used to play it outside on the concrete driveway and I distinctly remember numerous kids at school playing it on this compacted sandy area which was ideal for shooting marbles on. I unfortunately also remember it being quite a boy's thing. Maybe that's why I was on the outside looking in. Either way, I have it etched in my memory as a popular kids' game. A game filled with anticipation, competition and skill. Oh and tears when a kid, having lost his best marble, decided he didn't want to play for 'keeps' anymore.

According to Rob Lamnle, who's written an article A Brief History of Marbles, marbles have been found all over the world and throughout history. In fact they have been found in the ashes of Pompeii, ancient Egypt and in Native American cultures. Talk about old school! In the beginning they were simple rocks that were polished by the running waters of rivers. For centuries they were crafted from clay, stone and glass. In 1884 mass production of clay marbles began and in 1915 we saw the mass production of glass marbles.

To be honest I'd kind of forgotten about Marbles up until recently when my daughter came to own a bag of marbles herself. We were invited to a children's birthday party at an indoor play center and as an invited guest my daughter could choose a 'prize' from a cabinet of small, mostly flimsy plastic, toys and gadgets. Zara decided on the bag of marbles. At first I thought awesome marble painting! I then I remembered how uninterested my child can be in 'crafty' activities. So what do we do with the marbles then? Took a little while for the 'marble' to drop but then I remembered Marbles, the game. We can play Marbles, Yay! How do we do that though?

Marbles can be played in a variety of ways.  Thanks to a web page called Marble Games I've learnt the names of over 20 games!. I will go into detail with these games in future posts, today I thought I would share with you a game that we have started playing as a family. It's kind of made up as we felt more formal games were a little too complicated for our 3 year old.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

The best part of Marbles I find is the cost effectiveness of the game. To start with all you really need is a bag of marbles and a flat surface.You can still buy bags of marbles at discount stores, even toy stores. Just had a look at Toys R Us online and they have these huge tubs for around $28.00. I personally find that a bit steep for marbles! Looks like Amazon.com is a better option if you are interested in buying online. I still personally think you should first take a look at your local discount store. 

For our game, if your child is also a beginner and doesn't understand the concept of 'gentlly', you will need a flat carpeted area. I find this stops the marbles from rolling too fast and out of sight, even if handled with some force. I recommend some pillows or rolled up blankets to form a barrier, especially when you have furniture in the near where the marbles can roll under. Also setting up a barrier means you don't have to spend more time picking up marbles from the other side of the room.  

WARNING 

Remember marbles can be a serious choking hazard for small children! Please supervise children playing marbles around small children who are still mouthing. Make sure all marbles are accounted for at the end of a session. Just as dangerous are marbles left  under and around furniture which littlies can find and choke on later. And no putting them up your nose! 

HOW TO PLAY OUR 'BEGINNER'S' GAME 

 How we've set up our game is like this. With barricades in place, i.e blankts and pillows, we place a larger marble up one end and the other marbles are kept at the other end ready to shoot. In this case, the patterned edge of the rug acts as the line where we need to shoot our marbles from. The aim of the game is to shoot your marbles at this large marble target, with whoever's marble is closest being the winner.Simple really.


My daughter, being a total beginner and limited in her fine motor skills, shoots her marbles across by hitting the marble with the back of her hand. We tried to teach her 'knuckling down' but at her age it seems a little difficult. I, on the other hand, am able to 'knuckle down' and do so to shoot my marbles.

Once everyone has shot their marbles across we take a look and decide who's marble has landed the closest to the large target marble. At the moment my husband's seem to always sneek in there. I must say at times my daughter and I find it more entertaining to try and hit Hubby's marbles out of the way rather than aiming at the target.

DIY Bean Bags! How to sew a throw bean bag

This week I really wanted to do a DIY tutorial on something to do with Marbles, but unfortunately I can't afford the material I need for the something special I'm thinking of. Do stay tuned though because come payday you know where I'll be heading! Yep straight to my favourite...um more like the only fabric store in town.


What we do have today is a tutorial on an other oldie but goodie... the humble bean bag! (The one you throw, not sit on) Why? Because check out the box of scrap kiddy fabrics I was lucky to receive from one of our neighbours! It's flannel and not really good for much other than maybe pillow slips. Also the last batch of bean bags I made have been missing in action for a few months now, collecting dust behind the furniture I suspect. Anyway enough with the waffling, let's get straight to it!

 How to Sew a Bean Bag Tutorial

 

What you will need

• Sewing machine
• Scissors and a rotary blade cutter
• Measuring tape or preferably a quilter's ruler
• Iron and ironing board
• Matching thread
• Something to fill your bean bags with, rice, small beans, popcorn kernels, barely or wheat grains etc. 
• Light weight non-stretch fabric

 First bring your fabric to the ironing board and fold it over so the folded area measures 5.5 inches. Take your iron and press your fabric so that it will stay folded at 5.5 inches

 Using a rotary blade cutter and ruler cut across the 5.5 inch length and then make cuts across at every 4 inches so you end up with a folded piece that is 5.5 inches long and 4 inches wide.See photo below.

 

Fold the fabric over so that right sides are facing. Set sewing machine to straight stitch and stitch along one side with about a 1/4 inch seam. Keep sewing and after you've finished one feed through another so you end up with one long chain of bean bags. Cut the bean bags from each other and then sew the other side just like you did the first side.

 Cut each bean bag from the chain and turn them inside out. Use a pointy thing like the end of a pencil, skewer or a paint brush like I am and poke the corners out.

Take all your bags now  back to the ironing board. Fold the open end over about 1/2 inch and then iron in place. It's a good idea to iron the whole bag flat now.

Take them all back to the sewing machine where you will stuff them and sew them shut. For my bean bags I am using the beans on the left. I have chosen to fill each bean bag with two small handfuls of the beans. You could, if you want, weigh out your filling so that each bag weighs the same, but I am not that fussy. Really you can make your bags as heavy or as light, but not too light, as you like. Just don't over fill otherwise you will find it tricky to sew shut.

 Last step is to then stitch across the open end, making sure you go over the edges so there are absolutely no gaps, especially important if you use rice as rice can sneak out of even the smallest hole. Trust me I've learnt that the hard way!

And there you have it! I've made 7 bean bag for about $3.00 AUD or less. I'll let you know how to use them in play in the up coming posts!

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope you get to give this a go. Send us some photos of your bean bags if you get to make some.

Happy sewing and happy playing!

Top 10 tips for playing on a budget

I am a strong believer of play being something that all children should experience and have access to no matter what their financial background. Some parents like myself sometimes feel that if only we had more money we could offer our children more play opportunities. If only we had more money we could buy another puzzle, another set of Lego etc.

Since moving to Germany, leaving all my daughter's toys in Australia, and now having to live off  a 1/3 of the income we had in Australia, I've had no choice but to get creative and resourceful regarding play resources. If you are in a spot of bother like I am, below are outlined 10 ways to reduce your 'play bill'. Hope it helps!


1. Make your own
If you are at all handy or crafty, be it with a sewing machine or power tools, then get online and look up some DIY toy ideas. Even if you can't sew or drill there are oodles of easy play stuff  you can make in your very own kitchen using everyday house hold items like baking soda, shaving cream and gelatin, to name a few. A wonderful blog for such 'recipes' is Fun at Home with Kids. Here at Just Happy Playing we also have DIY FRIdays with tutorials on how to make different things for playing with. Be sure to look out for those tutorials!

2. Take advantage of toy libraries and regular libraries
Get online and see if your local community has a toy library. This is a library that just has toys and like a regular library lets members borrow toys for a set amount of time. These are a fantastic way to keep your children happy by supplying them with different toys each fortnight. Some toy libraries charge a membership fee but it often isn't that much. The best part of borrowing toys is that if your child ends up not giving a hoot about the toy and leaves it in the corner to collect dust, you don't have to think "what a waste of money that was!"

Of course you should also take advantage of your local regular library. Some libraries even have a small selection of toys they lend out. I know ours in Australia had a whole room of toys, from puzzles, hammering games to rocking horses. We didn't need to pay more to borrow, we just used our already free membership with the library. Your regular library is also good for borrowing those wonderful picture books, that can quite frankly cost a small fortune even from the Bookdepository.

Just a note- I have heard of online toy libraries where the toys are sent to you and then you post them back, but I looked at the cost and jeepers creepers you're better off buying your own. So online toy libraries I do not recommend. What a nasty rip off!

3. Ask family and friends for hand-me-downs
You will be surprised how many toys are kept hidden in people's attics, lonely and in need of a child to play with. I know my parents have still got boxes of plush toys littering their attic. It really doesn't hurt to ask friends and family, who's children are grown up and have stopped playing with toys, for any old toys they don't want or need. They might even be grateful that you are helping them to clear some storage space.

4. Go shopping at thrift stores (second hand shops) and garage sales
You will be amazed at what you can get at garage sales and at thrift shops! We managed to get my daughter for Christmas a wooden train set, and by train set I mean more like 3 different train sets together for 35 Euros! Might still sound like a fair bit of money but if you were to buy the pieces in a toy store you are looking at almost 100 Euros!

Be careful of the condition of the toys when making a purchase. You don't want to buy something that is ready to fall apart as soon as play gets a little rough. Anything that is battery operated ask them to test it with batteries there in front of you so you know it works.

5. Form a Swap Group with neighbours, friends or your parent groups, mothers groups etc.
Haven't got a toy library in your community? Why not start a swap group with people in your community. If you are part of a mothers group, for example, you might make an agreement to allow each other to borrow toys from each other. Everyone seems to have toys their children have lost interest in, why not swap these for someone elses? It would work just like a toy library rather than a real swap, where you keep the toys you have swapped. Make sure the group has a reliable and clear tracking and borrowing system with one person in charge of the paper work. All members must agree on what happens if a toy is broken or lost etc. and how long one can have a toy for. 

6. Take advantage of mother nature
Mother Nature is there, free for everyone! There is nothing like getting outdoors when weather permits. Going out and exploring local forests, feeding ducks at local lakes, playing soccer at a local park etc. So get out there and enjoy! 


7. Take advantage of games that require little or no equipment
Games like hand clapping games, elastics, ball games or string games are great when you are on a budget because they only require minimal equipment to play. Things like strings and balls can also be used for a variety of games, meaning more value!

8. Don't be tempted to buy cheap and flimsy stuff from the $2 store
Now I am saying this because of my own experiences. I have been known to go into those dollar stores and think I'm getting a good deal on some cheap toys when in fact I end up paying twice as much because I have to buy them again after they were broken so quickly. Now this does not apply to all things you can buy in a dollar shop. Marbles, those bouncy balls, balloons, plastic farm animals, they seem to last but those little plastic fishing games, plastic cars etc, they I found lasted a whole 2 days of playing.

9. See if your local schools are clearing out toys and books. 
As a teacher at a special school I saw first hand our school throw out or give away some of our out-dated books and equipment. Even though we thought of them as out-dated they were by no means not useful or still good for playing with. I am sure if you wanted you could just make a call to your local schools and ask if they clear out resources every now and then and if so can you take some. Can't guarantee that they will or even let you have them, but hay it's worth a try!

10. Use stuff you already have around the house
Everyone knows of a little child who, having opened a toy from its box, ended up playing with the box while the toy sat on the side-lines. There's also the infamous Tupperware or pots and pans draw we are told about as young mothers. So stop, before you think your child has nothing new to play with and you are getting your keys and wallet ready for a toy shopping spree, take another look around your house. Boxes, yarn, those pots and pans, dry pasta, all make wonderful play things! Take a look online for ideas or just leave a pile of these kinds of things around for your children to access and watch them turn them into something magical.

So there you have it, 10 ways to save money in the play department! This is by no means the end of my money saving ideas regarding toys and play, but I hope that these 10 do give you some ideas that you can try to help you too to reduce your play bill. If you have any other ideas regarding this subject please leave a comment below and I will try to include it in the next post about play costs.

Happy saving and playing!