I've had this brown yarn sitting around since Halloween 2011 (it was the leftovers from making a horse mane and tail for S's costume). And let's face it - brown is a pretty unappealing color when it comes to art projects...so it's just been sitting. I finally thought of a way to use it last week and we tried it out this morning. I made two "mazes" - one at X's level and one at S's level.
I wasn't sure if X would notice it at first, but he did right away! We set him down near a yarn intersection and he began investigating. I made sure to pull the yarn fairly taut so that it would produce vibrations when you pulled tight and then released a bit.
I just love this photo - such a delicate touch!
We showed him how to wiggle it up and down and make it bounce.
I also laid out several of his toys and involved them in the yarn maze. He really did seem fascinated by it!
S's version was a bit higher up and longer - it moved into the hallway and dining room as well. She was pretending to be a cat hopping through a spider web (how seriously scary would a spider be if its web was big enough to net a cat, right?) and had fun hopping through all the different levels of the maze.
I had these grand plans of her taking the yarn and following it through the maze to re-wind the skein - but the winding was a bit too tricky for her.
So I stepped in as the "winder" and she'd follow the yarn with her hand and tell me what to do ("go under the table leg" or "go around the door handle") to undo the maze.
A little bit later in the day, she grabbed the smaller ball of yarn that I'd used to make X's maze and made me a maze to undo. The smaller amount of yarn and the UNwinding gave the task just the right amount of challenge for her. Here she is taking care to pull it taut.
And now looping it through and around a dining room chair.
And for the finish she even tried to tie a knot! She was so excited to end it at X's jumperoo. :)
All in all we thought it was a fun way to put that leftover yarn to use!
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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
Looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteIt was! And I got my exercise maneuvering from child to child, hahaha!
DeleteI have great memories of a birthday party of mine when I was maybe 8? My mom filled our whole house with these mazes, it was awesome!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! That would be SO FUN! Saving that idea!!!!
DeleteThat is super creative. and the pictures are lovely! thanks for sharing this. I am definitely trying this with DD!
ReplyDelete-Reshama
www.stackingbooks.com
Thank you so much! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did!
DeleteIm super late but how did u get the yarn to stick ?
ReplyDeleteWe tied a knot/bow at one end and then looped it through or around everything else. :)
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