DIY Toddler Busy Latch Board
If you have a spirited and energetic toddler like I do, chances are you have also spent time researching activities to keep them busy during these cold, restricting winter months. I have seen toys such as this floating around the internet and knew that Bean would probably get a kick out of them. This last frigid weekend, we decided to take a trip to the local hardware store to make our own.
I incorporated Bean as much as I could in the helping process. If you couldn’t guess, my husband dressed her that day 😉 (Minnesota Wild warm up) She loves to help and be a part of whatever project I’m in the middle of. For this project, her favorite part was painting the 2×10 slab of wood we had pre-cut at Home Depot. I am a sucker for baby blue, so we used acrylic craft paint and a foam brush to paint it blue and then we added a coat of glitter sealant on top.
We purchased a variety of latches, hinges, and locks that we thought Bean could tackle on her own without getting frustrated. Before attaching to the board, we laid them out so that (in my words) the board looked “balanced”.
My husband did all of the attaching the hardware to the board. If you ask me, I let him do this step. If you ask him, I needed his strong hands for help.
It was a fun family project to tackle all together.
The poor kid had spent the day being told, “We’re going to the store so we can make you a fun toy!” and then you can imagine her confusion and disappointment when we showed up at Home Depot. Luckily (thanks to a few suckers and a giant, impossible to push race car cart) she lasted the entire trip and the time it took to assemble it at home.
In the day that we have had it, she has already found minutes upon minutes of entertainment. If you’re thinking to yourself that doesn’t sound very impressive, have yourself a toddler. Then we’ll talk 😉
Total cost= $52.29. This may shock you, but upon further research of other latch board type projects we came out on top. We also have a few extra boards on hand now, in case we need them. Surprisingly, as a home owner, we always seem to be in need of extra boards. Now we’re good! 🙂
My favorite wine is the moscato that you get at Olive Garden! Soo good
Love this latch board! It would keep my crazy toddler entertained – I might have to get my hubby onto this project before our next little one arrives, I can see that this would be a good toy to pull out when I’m nursing the baby.
My fav wine is hands down a Cote du Rhone – lovely red from the south france 🙂
Love this latch board! It would keep my crazy toddler entertained – I might have to get my hubby onto this project before our next little one arrives, I can see that this would be a good toy to pull out when I'm nursing the baby.
My fav wine is hands down a Cote du Rhone – lovely red from the south france 🙂
This is great! And so much cheaper than the Melissa and Doug ones, I’m sure!! Thanks for being a part of our giveaway! Xo!
This is great! And so much cheaper than the Melissa and Doug ones, I'm sure!! Thanks for being a part of our giveaway! Xo!
this is amazing! I love the idea!
this is amazing! I love the idea!
My favorite right now is Green Truck (white wine)
My favorite right now is Green Truck (white wine)
Chardonnay!!!
Chardonnay!!!
Your activity board is soooo much more loaded than mine! I made mine with the intention of using it in the car, but now I I wish I made it like yours! Boooo!
http://www.thatswhatshesaid84.blogspot.com
What a great idea to make one for travel!
I love your photos and this baby blue color! Love it! Love all things turquoise, especially when the red kicks in.
What I had at hand was Aviation Blue 🙂 this palette work just best for the busyboards, right? http://oyboystuff.blogspot.com/2014/12/aviator-busy-board.html