Play Time

As much work as putting together this playroom required—a bit of an irony, I know—the process certainly brought back some fond memories from my childhood. While growing up, I loved to play with all sorts of toys, from Creepy Crawlers to Polly Pockets to rainbow-colored Slinkys. And of course, there was always a pile of stuffed animals on my bed.        

The miniature baseball in the photo below is a souvenir I purchased several years ago while visiting a friend in New York. 

The alphabet blocks are part of a scrapbooking kit I received from my grandmother-in-law many Christmases ago. 

This brings us to the things I actually made, starting with the tent. I followed the instructions in a YouTube video that is unfortunately no longer available, making a few modifications along the way. For instance, I used printer paper instead of cardstock paper and tacky glue instead of double-sided tape. Then, I decorated the outside of the tent with stickers.   

For the stars, I traced 2 templates of different sizes onto a piece of cardboard, cut along the edges, and carefully wrapped them in aluminum foil. To hang each star, I used a sewing needle to poke a tiny hole at the top and string through it a piece of clear nylon thread. Then, I simply taped the thread to the bottom of the staircase. 

For the teddy bear, I molded some GO CREATE EZ Shape Non-Dry Modeling Clay into different body parts, beginning with the torso and legs and ending with the eyes and nose. I finished by applying a thin coat of Mod Podge gloss with a paintbrush.  

The rug is a dishcloth pattern designed by Amy-lynne Mitchell, available for free here. I used US 5 knitting needles and Lily Sugar'n Cream Solids & Denim yarn in the color Yellow.

The treasure chest is a free printable I found here. After cutting out the template and then folding and gluing the sides, I placed inside the chest the bottom of a small gift box and some stuffing. The "treasures" are some trinkets I purchased at my local Michaels store. 

Finally, for each picture book, I cut a sheet of construction paper into 3 rectangles, folded each rectangle in half to create pages, stapled the pages together, and attached a scrapbooking sticker to the cover. My favorite is the butterfly book.

George Bernard Shaw once said, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." I love this quote. The importance of play throughout adulthood cannot be underestimated, not only because it helps us stay young at heart, but also because it inspires creativity in all aspects of our lives.

What do you think? What toys did you play with as a kid, and what toys do you play with now?