Button Snake busy bag

This fun activity is one of the first I heard of when I stumbled across these types of bags a year ago when I started my {countless hours of} searching.  So many moms bragged that this activity was perfect for the waiting time while out'n'about…in the doctor’s office, at church, etc.  Several ladies also posted that it could be used while waiting in the grocery store but I force my kids to help when shopping, even my 2 yr old helps…I know, I’m a slave driver. *wink*

Plus the plastic baggie keeps it all tidy and neat. Oh, I should point out the benefits of the baggies used for all busy bags…I use only zipper-topped baggies which are needed because:
1. Little fingers can easily operate the open/close zipper fostering self-help skills (whatever we can do to encourage their own clean-up!)
2. Users can see through and identify the activity without disturbing the contents (no reason to dump just to look inside!)
3. Bags ‘file away’ easily in a box or bag without fear of spilling (can easily fold into a purse or diaper bag for on the go too!).

Here's one of my favorite photos of my two year old learning to work with the button. His little chubby fingers are just so precious!

When I gave him the activity and showed him how to string the first shape, I didn't realize that he had no clue how to manipulate a button.  He held it with one hand and just stared!  It was a perfect learning tool for both of us!  Plus, after completing the activity, he very proudly announced "Me did it!" and clapped then asked to do it again!

For more photos, go to the Facebook page under "BusyBagCentral" and be sure to "Like" us so you can get in on the fan-only giveaways! Orders can be taken on Facebook or by emailing from the blog.

Rainbow Bright busy bag

This is one of my favorite bags so far!  My 2 year old has impressed me greatly when playing with this bag.  I didn’t realize he knew so many of the colors; for example, he was enticed by the bright pieces the first time I pulled it out and he quickly picked up a red jewel saying “ooh, red” and then placed it on the red felt swatch….all without me instructing him what to do! 

We played with this again today and he was very excited to match all the items with their colors.  It took a bit of encouraging to cleanup after playing since he was so proud of his work and didn’t want to put it away.  And we learned that it was probably better to dump the bag onto a cookie sheet before starting since the beads tend to roll around and need to be contained during play.

My 4-yr old also enjoys this activity. He already knows his colors so the joy of this bag comes more from inspecting each item and placing them in different orders on the color swatches.

This bag includes 8 different colors of felt, sized 4" by 2", and has 3-5 coordinating items per color. As with all other bags from Busy Bag Central (if you decide to order!), the activity is contained in the usual zippered-top plastic bag....zippered top is important because little fingers can easily manipulate it for opening and for cleaning up by themself. *wink*

It also folds down very small so it's perfect to pack away into our Busy Bag Box of activities or even in a diaper bag if we need a project when out 'n' about. The felt is a good medium for the items to sit ontop because it somewhat grabs the gems and also lets the beads 'sit' instead of roll like they would on paper.

For more photos, go to the Facebook page under "BusyBagCentral" and be sure to "Like" us so you can get in on the fan-only giveaways! Orders can be taken on Facebook or by emailing from the blog.