[video_quote pvideo=”9jaMcTKe” video=”9jaMcTKe” text=”Blossom”]
Parents know better than anyone — the connection that kids have to their toys is absolutely unparalleled! And anywhere that kids go, their toys are sure to follow. Of course, this means that toys and stuffed animals alike will end up anywhere and everywhere imaginable. From a giant pile in the corner of a room to a hidden hobble under the bed with the dust bunnies, kids and their toys will take over any home faster than you can snap your fingers.
But parents, rejoice! We’ve come up with a few different tricks to help you keep your home organized and your kids happy. And with Disney Junior’s new show, T.O.T.S (which stands for Tiny Ones Transport Service), coming out (tune-in Weekdays at 9 a.m. on Disney Channel), we’ve even included a few ways to help your kids stay organized with a little help from their friends Pip the penguin and Freddy the flamingo.
For starters, we decided to tackle every parent’s worst nightmare: the bottomless toy pile (believe it or not, there is a bottom!). Snag a soft, colored fabric and cut it into a circle. Then fasten it with a strong chord to create a play mat-turned-cinching toy bag at the pull of a string! Not only are the toys tucked away, but it makes for a super comfy mock-beanbag.
What better way to get your kids excited about their chores than by including their favorite T.O.T.S characters in the fun? We put together a brightly colored chore board complete with magnets of your kids’ favorite characters. And next time you discover a forgotten stuffed animal that’s seen better days, pop it into a bag with a mixture of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and water, give it a good rub, and wait for it to dry. After a quick shake, it’ll be good as new.
Lastly, you can help your kids play along with Pip and Freddy by making them their own baby animal delivery baskets for their favorite toys — all you need to a tissue box, soda bottle, glue, craft paint, and colored ribbon, and you’re on your way to a morning of fun!
DIY Drawstring Bag/Stuffed Chair
[image_with_caption text=”Blossom” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/BLM1078_DisneyJrTots_V12.mp4.00_00_29_24.Still001.jpg”]
Materials:
- Old bed sheet
- String
- Marker
- Scissors
- Soft, cotton rope (at least ¼ inch thick)
- Fabric Glue
- Decorative Fabric
Process:
- Fold up a fitted bed sheet into quarters.
- Measure, then cut a piece of string into a 1.5 foot strip
- Place the string along the edge of the folded sheet. Hold one end at the corner of the sheet, and hold the opposite end in your other hand along with a marker. While pulling the string taut, trace an arc along the sheet from one side to the other. Use scissors to cut along the traced arc. Unfold to reveal a circle.
- Cut about 10.5 feet of soft, cotton rope. Place the rope around the circle, about 2 to 3 inches from the edge, until you’ve made it around the entirety of the circle. When you’re done, there should be a little over ½ a foot of extra rope on both ends, coming off the circle.
- Trace a line of fabric glue about 2 inches from the rope, but leave about a 3 inch gap where the two ends of rope diverge. Fold the circle edge over on to the line of glue all the way around. When you’re done, the two ends of rope should feed out of the gap of fabric. Let the glue dry.
- For a nice finishing touch, you can use the same method to cut out a colorful bit of fabric to place over the seam. For this, use a string approximately 1.25 feet long, so that the cut circle is about 2.5 feet in diameter. Glue it down, then let dry.
- When it’s all done, toss some animals in, and pull ropes. Simply tie off, and flip over for a comfortable seat.
Cookie Sheet Chore Chart
[image_with_caption text=”Blossom” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/BLM1078_DisneyJrTots_V12.mp4.00_00_53_02.Still002.jpg”]
Materials:
- Cookie sheet
- Spray Paint
- Double-sided tape
- Drill
- Ribbon
- Washi Tape
- Letter Stickers
- 19mm Ceramic Magnets
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- Old baby food jar caps
- Paper
- Pen/PencilPlastic Binder Sheet Protectors
Process:
- With the hot glue gun, glue a round ceramic magnet to the back of an old baby food jar lid
- Print encouraging messages onto sheets of paper, then trace a circle around image using the jar lid. Cut out along the line. Repeat with a plastic binder sheet protector.
- Insert the image into the lid, then place plastic protector over it.
- Repeat the process, until you’ve made nine encouraging magnets, or as many as you’d like.
- Spray paint a cookie sheet in your choice color, then let dry.
- Print chore assignments onto paper, and cut out in the same size as the magnet images.
- Tape the individual chore assignment onto the cookie sheet using double-sided tape. While we did a chart of 3 by 3, the amount is up to you.
- Use letter stickers to label the cookie sheet with the child’s name, then decorate as you wish using washi tape.
- As a finishing touch, drill holes in the top of the cookie sheet, roughly 2.5 inches apart, then slide a ribbon through the holes. Tie a bow at the top for easy hanging. Then place magnets on for fun chore charting.
Clean a Dirty Stuffed Animal
[image_with_caption text=”Blossom” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/BLM1078_DisneyJrTots_V12.mp4.00_01_25_20.Still003.jpg”]
Materials:
- Large Ziploc bag
- ½ cup of Baking Soda
- ½ cup of Hydrogen Peroxide
- ½ cup of water
Process:
- Combine the baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and water in a large Ziploc bag.
- Place in the well-loved stuffed animal, then seal the bag.
- Rub the mixture all over the animal thoroughly.
- Open bag, and set in the sun to dry. Wait until both the paste and stuffed animal are completely dry.
- Once dry, remove the stuffed animal, and brush off the mixture, which, now dry, will come off easily, revealing a clean animal.
Tissue Box Stuffed Animal Carrier
[image_with_caption text=”Blossom” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/BLM1078_DisneyJrTots_V12.mp4.00_01_56_20.Still004.jpg”]
Materials:
- Marker
- Tissue Box
- Scissors
- 2 liter soda bottle
- Hot Glue Gun, Glue Sticks
- Paint (two or three different colors)
- Fork
- Buttons
- Ribbon
Process:
- With a marker, trace semi-circles on both sides of the top of an empty tissue box. Cut along the marker then the adjacent sides of the tissue box, so that these semi-circles are all that remain on top.
- Fold these flaps up.
- Paint the box using whatever paint you’d like (we used spray paint for the base color), and let dry.
- Cut the top and bottom off a soda bottle, then cut the remaining cylinder in half, so that the plastic fits on top of the box. Line the sides up with the flaps created in the first step, then glue one of the long sides of the bottle along the inside of the box, so that the plastic can open and close.
- Dip the prongs of a fork in paint, then, starting in a corner of one of the box sides, place the prongs vertically then horizontally across each other to create a crisscross pattern. Repeat along rows, until each of the box faces has the crisscross pattern on it. Let dry.
- Using a hot-glue gun, glue one button on the box, and another on the plastic in line with each other.
- Follow up by gluing a foot long strip of ribbon to the inside of both flaps from step one.
- Decorate however else you’d like using stickers or other decorations, then you’re ready to go.