Budget Friendly Activities For Baby - "Treasure Baskets"

I was scrolling through Pinterest this morning (as I usually do), and I came across a Pin that described having sensory activities for your baby.  I love the idea of having learning activities for my daughter, but frankly I don't have the money or time to set them up....so I thought.  When I clicked on the link to the site, my mind was blown by all the activities I could have for my daughter and her developing brain, all for free!  Before I go any further, I want to acknowledge the site: http://www.theimaginationtree.com/2010/10/heuristic-play-treasure-baskets.html and encourage all mothers (and moms to be) to check it out.

After flipping through different pages on the site, I came across an idea for a baby 'Treasure Box'.  Basically, you find things around the house and put it in a basket.  You then give it to baby and let her discover things for herself.  Now, usually Jaelyn will play with a toy that I give her, and when she's done she'll throw it, or become distracted by something else.  I was a bit skeptical that this idea would work, but I went ahead and decided to give it my best shot.  While my husband was feeding her breakfast, I found a basket and decided to 'hunt' for things in my house to put in it - things that make noise, she could chew on, etc.  We still hadn't unpacked everything from the move, so I wasn't sure I could find enough (again...wrong).  Here's what I included:
-small wooden cutting board
-small metal whisk
-a milk storage bottle filled  halfway with rice
-a plastic bag clip
-teething ring
-a baby friendly mommy bracelet
-a small plastic toy milk carton
-a baby fork with a round handle
-a spoon
-a small crinkly toy
- a plastic frog toy
-a small ring toy with different textured leaves
-and last but not least, we had a stroller toy (that never really worked for Jaleyn, and always got in the way of the infant carseat handle).  I cut off the two hanging toys, and put those and the plush elephant part in the basket.

Some of these items were part of toys, or toys that I didn't really know what to do with, but found a new use in the basket.

I turned off the TV, and moved all of her other toys somewhere else, and gave her the basket, and I watched her (the site suggested only interacting with your baby when she/he invites you to).  I watched her pull out an object, play with it and set it to the side.  She would then pull out another object, and sometimes go back to the first ones - but she would always concentrate on each one and try to figure out it's use.  By the end of it, she had the whole basket dumped upside down, but she was totally enthralled with it all.

She would occasionally look up at my husband and I with glee (I would never leave her alone with the basket...not all items are completely baby safe) as she found a use for each item (chewing, banging, flipping around in her hand).  Not once did she get upset and cry out for our attention.  She was stimulated and she was learning.  I didn't even plan enough time for her to play with it - after a half hour it was time for lunch, and I packed it up and placed it out of sight in the kitchen until it is time for her to experience the treasures again.

I challenge you to try it with your own baby.  Change out the 'treasures' frequently.  I plan on having a couple separate 'treasure baskets' - ones that make noise, ones with textures, etc.  It didn't take a lot of time, and it cost absolutely nothing to do....but so much more rewarding than always plunking your baby down with her usual toys, with music or TV on in the background.

On a totally separate but not unrelated note, I now have a board on Pinterest labelled "Pins I've Actually Done" (as well as a new label on this blog), and I'm determined to implement at least one Pin a week that I have run across.  Stay tuned for the reviews :)