Entertaining a toddler on a dime: Homemade play food set

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Wow. I can't believe I spend money on toys when an empty tissue box and a wooden spoon make my toddler happy"? Yeah, so have I.

We've been handed down a toy tool bench, a wooden train set, more Duplos than anyone could possibly need, and a Lego table, so when my son started showing interest in pretend cooking, I wasn't about to buy a play kitchen that would take up even MORE room in a house where adult space* is quickly dwindling. Instead, on a boring snow day a couple of weeks ago, I took an old Amazon box, cut a door in it, used black crayon to draw some knobs and a window, red crayon to draw some burners, and I called it an oven. It took me ten minutes, and my son played with it for HOURS. He had only seldom used the Melissa & Doug wooden pot and pan set that he got as a Christmas gift until he had a specific place for them, and now it's his favorite thing. A plus--the cats like to hide in the oven, which isn't really a benefit, just funny.

But then, what was I going to use for food? Whenever I use up a spice, I give him the empty jar, and he walks around the house dipping a teaspoon into the jar and saying "MMMMM." But something a bit more tangible would be nice. I really didn't want more plastic things to trip over and take up space, so I cut some shapes out of felt that I had leftover from a previous craft project that I never did, and voila! Fruits and veggies (and cookies and pizza)! I sewed these pieces together, but glue would work just fine (I glued the chocolate chips on the cookies). The storage space is minimal, and it's okay if it doesn't look exactly like real food. My son's Early Intervention therapist says that it's actually better if it doesn't because it forces the tykes to use their imaginations more.

So, there you have it. A (free) project for a rainy day.

*That space you used to have where you could keep glass things, phone chargers, books that you want to keep intact, and remote controls without worry.