Let The Kids Play With Their Food
Looking for an inexpensive and easy gift to make for your little one this holiday season? We’ve got two ideas for making “play food” for imaginative play in a toy kitchen or pretend restaurant. You won’t need anything more than very basic woodworking or sewing skills to make these super cute toys!
WOODWORKING – Photocopy a label from a common food box or can (get creative, but waffles, pasta, crackers, cookies and butter all work well). Cut out your new “label”. Also, cut a scrap block of wood slightly larger than your label. Sand and paint your block of wood. Attach the label with Mod Podge. Then cover your project with a couple coats of Mod Podge, drying between coats. Complete as many as you’d like to make a full set of food.
SEWING – Using felt makes these projects so basic, as you only need to cut your pieces and quickly hand stitch or machine sew them together with no seams. In some cases, you could even glue pieces together with fabric glue. My favourites? Cut out an egg white and attach a yellow yolk. Stick this inside a plastic Easter egg for good cracking fun! Or sew a simple pita pocket with felt fillings. Find some thick whitish yarn or string to fill a toy pot with spaghetti. Be sure your child is old enough to understand that these pretend foods do not go in their mouth.
*You can find many other ideas for “make your own play food” at www.pinterest.com.
