Toys for Boys

[ColwynsMommy]

My boys will be 6 and 4 at Christmas. Last year I made them I-Spy bags, fleece pillows (for sitting on the floor or whatever), and sleeping bags for their dolls and stuffed animals. They also got doll slings and aprons.

I'd really love to make them something for Christmas again this year, but I'm stumped! They're active boys, and really into Star Wars right now. They have a ton of action figures so I doubt any peg or felted SW character I made would be of interest. They do like to dress up, but they already have pretty much everything.

I can't knit, and I can do basic sewing, but nothing terribly complicated. Any ideas? I just have no idea what to do for boys in this age range, and I really don't want to just buy them more Star Wars Legos.

Thanks!

[zech13_9_goforgold]

Could you make them stuffed light sabers, or would that go against your beliefs?

What about making them pieces of the costumes, like the darth vader head or the jeti robes?

[Pinkbruise]

How about a fishing set? sew some felt fish with a magnet in them, and making a fishing pole with a stick and a string with another magnet "hook"

a blue silk scarf can serve as the pond....

or is this too simple for them?

I am planning on making a fishing set for DS (who will be 4 then) and a basket of tree blocks. Also planning on making a roll up holder for his crayons and a pad of paper. And we're going to give him a set of modeling beeswax. His birthday is New Years Eve... not sure what to give him then. Probably just a birthday crown, and a birthday ring and 1 special gift. I'm trying to convince the rest of the family to skip the toys and pitch in together to give him a membership to the museum for a year.

I'm trying REALLY hard right now to finish up a waldorf inspired doll for him for when little brother is born (ANY day now)

[tinasquirrel]

My boys are 7 and 5 and I know exactly what you are talking about!

My boys love for me to make them freezer paper stenciled shirts, or applique shirts. Pajama sets with pajama pants and a matching shirt. That sort of thing.

I was thinking of making the boys a modified crayon roll this year. They like to draw/color when we are out at restaurants, soccer games, etc. But, I don't want just a roll for colored pencils. I want something that is more like a little book with the colored pencils on one side and a place to slip in a pad of paper on the other side, and then closed with an I-cord or something.

I was going to make them some treasure pouches for when we take hikes, go letterboxing, or similar. Like this one from the Wee Folk Art blog.

Last year, I put together art boxes for them and they love them. I got the boxes from the Let's Explore website. They are sort of like fishing tackle boxes and they open up and expand. (She doesn't have them on her site anymore though.) Then I filled them up with some special new art supplies. Then, I also made a bunch of little sewn books that I put in there, using this tutorial. They love them and use them all of the time. They can take them with them and have all their supplies at their fingertips where ever they are. I love the art supplies that they have at Stubby Pencil Studio.

Another thing I was thinking of making the boys this year is a checkers set. I'm not sure yet what exactly I had in mind. Maybe something wood (my DH does woodworking) and then I could make the checkers with some disks and maybe stamp them? Or I could do a felt checkerboard that rolls up? Not sure, just a thought.

Or maybe some sort of canvas/fabric fort structure? My friend made her kids a tipi, which they love, but it would also be fun to make some sort of fabric playhouse, but in a boy-theme.

[amberskyfire]

What about wood or felt dioramas for them to play with their action figures on? It would be neat to make the structures from paper mache or something.

[ColwynsMommy]

Thanks so much for the tips! They have plastic light sabers, but Jedi robes would be great, and hopefully not too hard to make. I like the idea of a fishing set, as well as the art boxes (I think they'd really like the books). A roll-up checkerboard set would be really cool for restaurants, too.. hmm.

I'd actually thought of doing some sort of diorama, but haven't been able to work out the details yet. They take up soooo much space when they play with their Star Wars guys.. hmm. Maybe a playmat of some sort would be better. Or they have a giant vinyl dinosaur timeline that folds up, but they like to stand it on edge and make sort of a fence, I wonder if I could make something big like that, with panels..

[tinasquirrel]

What about a playmat for their action figures like this one?
http://bethanyjanehissong.blogspot.c...ay-matbag.html

You could do some sort of felt applique on it to be certain places. Like the forest in Return of the Jedi with the Ewoks or something.

My oldest loves to play with his Star Wars Galactic Heroes guys, and this mat (in a different theme) would be fun. It's actually very similar to a mat that my MIL keeps talking about that my DH had when he was little that was used to store all his Legos. It just cinched up, and you collected all the Legos and stored at the same time. Hmm....I might need to investigate this further.

[caiesmommy]

Originally Posted by tinasquirrel

What about a playmat for their action figures like this one?
http://bethanyjanehissong.blogspot.c...ay-matbag.html

I had something like that when I was little, but it was knitted and folded down into a baby cradle and came with a teeny doll..it was THE COOLEST toy(next to the knocked up knock off Barbie) that I had. That play mat would go over huge with my ds! Thanks!!!

[thtr4me]

If they are into Star Wars, maybe an out space playmat? There are some great fabrics here:

http://www.bugfabric.com/space.htm

I made DS a playmat with this one, and he LOVES it!
http://www.avlyn.com/collections/1408/