Most of our children’s interests change at the drop of a hat. They watch the same show on a loop, until one day, they accidentally watch something else and leech on to that show. They only want to eat Mac n Cheese shapes for weeks on end, until suddenly- “I don’t like those anymore”. They might beg us for matchbox cars then after a few plays, they’re never touched again.
Eli is a creature of habit. He likes the same foods, the same shows, the same handful of toys. Sometimes he ventures out be he almost always sticks to his few things. So when he asked me to buy Minecraft on his Ipad for $8 I thought “MMMMMMM NAH.” I just knew that if I spent that much money on a game he had never played before (but watched other kids play on youtube) that he would get bored and I’d be out $8. Boy was I wrong.
I finally caved and bought it. There was definitely some stumbling blocks while we both tried to figure out how to play the game. Since we figured it (mostly) out he is obsessed. He watched youtube tutorials on the tv while he plays the game so he can learn new tricks. The creativity he shows in this game is amazing. He is so smart and creative and makes awesome things. He even started recording himself while he plays for his own youtube channel just like the guys he loves to watch. It is amazing watching your child discover their passions, and I truly do think that’s what Minecraft is for him. It’s not just playing video games for him- he’s creating.
When his birthday started to come around it was a no brainer what we were going to do. I immediately headed to Pinterest to get some DIY ideas. Staying home with my kids gives me plenty of time to get some crap put together. I always underestimate how much harder, and usually more expensive, DIY projects can be. Nonetheless, I am very impressed with myself. Who actually pins stuff from Pinterest AND follows through with them!?!?
I documented some of my creations below and in case anyone is interested, wrote quick notes on how to make them! Enjoy!
Poke-A-Prize
What you need:
Large rectangular cardboard box
Box cutter
tissue paper
plastic cups
Hot Glue Gun
Spray Paint
In lieu of a piñata, I did a poke-a-prize game. Each square was filled with candies or toys. Each kid got to take turns poking a square! Cut out evenly placed squares down the length of the box, leaving room at the top for a Title. Once all the squares are cut, cover the bottom of a Solo Cup with hot glue, place it through a cut square and press firmly to the back of the box. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat for each square until all of them have a solo cup glued directly behind each square. This next part depends on the type of box you have. I had a box with a top and bottom piece, like a shoe box. For my box, I took off the top, flipped it over, and hot glued single sheets of tissue papers behind all of the squares.
Creeper Toss
What you need:
One large square cardboard box
box cutter
Spray paint
Cut squares for the eyes, odd shaped mouth, then spray paint. To use for the game, we used very small plastic balls from my daughters play room. Just make sure to practice with kids to make sure the game is doable for them!
Other Projects
Fishing hole
Medium-large bucket. makeshift fishing pole- (yardstick, wrapped in tape to protect from slivers with a large magnet tied to the end with small rope), prizes in plastic baggies clipped together with magnetic chip clips.
Photo Booth
Backdrop ordered from party city. Photo Booth props ordered from Amazon. We set up an iPad on a table with photo timer on. Children were able to take their own photos!
Creative Food
I went through the Minecraft items and found all the food items and anything that could look like food. I made up food card labels and set them out infant of the bowls!
to pile up fallen gum tree balls (right). As soon as he walked to the table a boy around the same age dressed in a police uniform told Eli to leave. Eli got upset and came over to me. I told him this is a playground and he can go where ever he wants. He walked back over and the boy, again, told him he had to leave and that he was the police. Another boy holding a nerf gun grabbed Eli by the arm and walked him out from under the play area and walked him towards the sidewalk. Eli started crying and I yelled at the boys to let him go.
Now the boys weren’t just being cruel, to everyone else they were just playing pretend. He was the police and under the play area was where they were patrolling. Keeping out bad guys. However, to Eli, they were being serious. After the boys let him go Eli came over, still crying, and said that the policeman wouldn’t let him play over there and told me how the other boy grabbed him. I explained to Eli that it wasn’t a real policeman and it was only a kid pretending. I told him that the kids were just playing pretend, a game. The look on his face told me he had no idea they were just playing. I said if they try and do that again to just tell them that you are not playing the game and you just want to play by yourself. Eli stood up and started walking away; I asked where he was going and he said “I’m going to tell them that I’m not playing with them.” The boys at this point were long gone. I told him to not worry about it unless they tried to bother him again.
Mastering Motherhood 