Birthday gift for 2 year old? Party is TOMMORROW!

[brusselsprout]

A friend of mine who tends to do things last minute most of the time just called me up and invited my boys to a birthday party for her son tommorrow afternoon. (Now I understand why my mom used to keep an emergency box of presents!) We are on a really tight budget right now, so I need to make his present if at all possible....dh promised me he would hang out with the kids this evening after work so I can sew....any ideas???

Right now I am thinking maybe a set of beanbags in a carry bag? Is that a nice gift? Age appropriate? Would it be better to fill the bags with pinto beans, lentils or rice? Or maybe fill each one with a different thing for different feels? I also have some big limas and I'm sure maybe a couple other sizes....How many do you think would make a nice set? 3, 4, 5, 6????

Thanks for any ideas

[starbright]

I think your idea is great!! I like the idea of putting something different in each beanbag.

Another thought is this--- I made a cube out of various fabrics (fleece, cotton, flannel, velour etc.) using scaps I had (I think I used 8 " fabric squares) I sewed the fabric into a cube then stuffed it with some fiberfill I had. It made a really nice cube that was soft and light and easy to throw. You could throw it in the house (since it wouldn't break anything) well at least you could in my house I don't know about other people's rules

My brother thought it was neat and made the suggestion that I could do the same thing only make it out of a lighter fabric and iron on dots so that it looked like a big die. (I am thinking if you made two a kid could play a math game or something.

I don't know, just throwing some stuff out to you.

[hydrangea]

I like that idea.

I personally think three is plenty.

If you have an extra basket lying around you could put them in that and then it would be a toss the beanbags in the basket game. You could even go crazy and make the beanbags in fruit/vegetable colors and shapes (i.e. bananas and strawberries) and sew stems on them.

Another idea would be to give a set of homemade playdough in different colors or even just the ingredients for homemade playdough and the instructions written up. There are all sorts of fun homemade crafts supplies you can make. Recipes are all over the internet. If you are interested, you could do a search.

But I still think the beanbag idea is nice.

[starbright]

I love the "fruit" shaped beanbag idea.. very creative

[Selena]

what a fabulous idea! The funky shapes would be so neat! I made 4 bean bags for a 2 year old birthday party a few months ago and he loved them... AndI just happened to have picked fabrics out of my stashthat werethe EXACT fabrics she had used for a quilt for him Funny how that happens!

[brusselsprout]

Thanks for all of your ideas!

I lucked out and got an extension on when I have to be finished....they changed the party to next weekend (Phew!)

I think I will go look for a basket like hydrangea suggested I also love the fruit idea...and the cube! Now I have too many ideas. My dh says I always think what I am doing isn't enough. Anyone else like that?

[boobykinmamma]

I made that exact twice, once for a one year old, once for a two year old. I love the fruit idea. Mine were pretty basic, but the fabric was really cute--scraps I had left over from making clothes--bugs, farm animals, fleece. I made little drawstring bags for them, and stuffed them with popcorn, which has a really nice feel inside a beanbag. The parents of both kids loved that I'd taken the time to make something.

[Henry's Mom]

Thanks goodness for your reprieve!

This isn't a sewing idea, but it's quick and inexpensive!

For my son's second bithday a friend gave him a planting kit with a ziplock bag of potting soil, a cardboard egg carton, some seeds (they were out of the package in envelopes-I'm sure left overs but they germinated perfectly!) and some very simp[le instructions.

He loved it! He really enjoyed filling the carton, sprinking the seeds, watering the plants and them transplanting them outside. He still talks about it.

I thought it was a great idea!