Easy and Inexpensive Multipurpose Toy

This is a recent travel find that I couldn't pass up. I was in the train station gift shop killing some time before boarding our train ride from Skagway, Alaska to the Canadian border and back. I came across a marked down bin of magnetic animals amid all of the waaaaaaaay overpriced trinkets from the region. They were originally $3.99 each and they had been marked down to just .25 cents each. I purchased two of each kind thinking it would be a fun matching game to add to the things to do at grandma's house.

The kids love playing with the magnetic letters on the front of my fridge. This new game would open up an avenue for me to share the stories of the animals I had seen on my trip and what I had learned about the area in which they live.

Then I came across this idea that would make the new matching game so that it could be played anywhere.

This idea was created by a mom for backseat travel activities for her kids and I thought it would be great for grandma's house too. She shares the how to instructions and many ideas for adding magnets to the different supplies.

Check it out at  http://www.somewhatsimple.com/2011/05/road-trip-travel-trays.html.

You begin with a dollar store cookie sheet and some chalkboard paint.

It is a multipurpose toy!

coloring station

chalkboard station

race car track

magnetic letters and numbers

magnetic dolls

matching games (me)

eating tray

and more......

Other ideas I had....

So simple and inexpensive you could create a personalized stack of them for grandma's house. 

Make them up as a going away gift for your grandchild's next road trip.

Long distance grandma's could use them as a base gift to easily add to through the mail by creating magnetic games, puzzles, and activities for any holiday, season, or special occasion.