Let’s just come out with it: I have crowned myself Queen of the Pinterest Fails. Because I so actively embrace that title (while never giving up on my goal of completing one project correctly), I am going to tell you about several of my epic fails, all achieved while trying to come up with something fun to entertain my toddler.
My daughter Isla is your typical active 2-year-old. Energetic times 30 is how I would describe my toddler, and even though I’m only 31, she makes me feel like I am too old to keep up with her.
In a time where Pinterest parties are all the rage (if you haven’t been to one or heard of one, don’t worry — you aren’t missing much), I decided it would be fun to do a couple of Pinterest projects to keep her entertained while I homeschool my other kids. Needless to say, none of these turned out how I envisioned.
The “Mind” Jar/Calming Jar
You would think that with a mom who teaches 5-year-olds to paint Monet’s Water Lilies, a simple jar would be easy right?
Nope.
The concept behind the calming jar was simple: water, glitter glue, and a Mason jar. They are supposed to look like this:
Mine looked like this:
Even when shaken, my calming jar produced nothing spectacular. As a matter of fact, I am sure Isla was secretly laughing at my fail. When shaken everything just sat at the bottom of the jar and fizzed at the top.
Water. Glitter. Glue. That is it. How did it go so wrong??
The Toddler Busy Bag
Busy bags are simple activities stored in a bag for toddlers or preschoolers (so they are always ready to go)! They are engaging activities that your child can do independently. They are great for playing during quiet time at home or to keep them busy while on the go. Busy bags use simple materials and usually cost around $1 to make.
Our busy bag was actually pretty spectacular for about two weeks … until she decided she was done with it and flushed some of the contents down the toilet. But while we had it, she did enjoy it.
I included activities for fine motor skills and language. It was great because the activities didn’t feel like actual learning (putting cotton swabs into the holes of an empty Parmesan cheese can?) … put it was totally a teaching tool. Hindsight, I like the idea of just using items from the Dollar Tree to create bags shown here.
Homemade Play Dough
Kids love play dough. They can spend time using their imaginations to build creative things … and the thought of making it a home from simple ingredients seemed easy, right?
Wrong.
To spare myself any further embarrassment I may incur after this post, I won’t show how the play dough actually turned out (you probably wouldn’t recognize what it was supposed to be anyway). Despite my best attempts, it just didn’t happen. Needless to say, I am just not trying this ever again. And that’s all of the time I am giving towards this one.
Sensory Tubs
Sensory activities provide children with a meaningful avenue for learning. Sensory tubs are worthwhile investments for hours of learning, exploring, and fun. Because children learn best by having “hands on” experiences with materials, sensory experiences are important to young children’s learning.
So here is very sensory tub I attempted to make. As soon as I made my version, my child dumped it on the ground (which is why I have no picture). But that never stopped me from making another one … and another … with the same result. And yes I would be right next to her, but the kid is fast.
Regardless, I will say sensory tubs are my favorite projects. They are simple to make, and who knows, one day she may actually get to enjoy playing with one.
Quiet Boxes
Quiet boxes are used to hold activities for your child to do during “quiet time” that are entertaining and don’t make a lot of noise. These are especially useful for kids who no longer nap but spend quiet time in their room instead. These activities keep them occupied, but don’t get them overly stimulated. (And if a nap results, it’s considered a win-win.)
The only problem is, this totally backfired on my 2-year-old. Instead of keeping her quiet, it was an immediate indication for “I’M JUST GOING TO BE LOUD ANYWAY.” The quiet boxes actually worked better for my 6-year-old.
I still have three quiet boxes (one for each child, even my 10-year-old), and they use them during nap or during our wind down period before bed. So while this was a total Pinterest fail, it is remains one of my favorite projects.
(Somewhat) Redeeming Myself
So the “Mind Jar” and I decided to go head to head again. Well this time I won and Isla absolutely loves it. She loves it so much that she won’t even let me touch it. So when it is time for her calm down (i.e before meal time, nap, bed, or anytime I need her) this comes in handy. And the 30 VOSS bottles I have also will make great science project materials for my kids.
So Pinterest, maybe you’re not so bad afterall….
What have been your biggest Pinterest fails (and wins)?
Playdough photo credit: jamieanne / Foter / CC BY-ND; Sensory tub photo credit: Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA; Glitter jar photo credit: Forget Me Knot Photography / Foter / CC BY
