Thursday, November 27, 2014

The Treasure Jar ♥

 I'm always looking for ways to entertain my active little toddler and when I stumbled across the wonderful Sadhbh from Where Wishes Come From's post all about the Get-Better Box and read about the treasure jars she used to make for her girls when they were younger I thought it'd be a nice idea to try with my own little one. Now I can't say that Tyler Lee is the type of child who'll sit down with me and play together, in fact, in has no interest in this whatsoever, he prefers to learn and discover things alone and isn't ever very interested when I try to show him things (much to my dismay I may add) but I thought the idea of a treasure jar filled with things he's not normally allowed touch may be just the ticket for some toddler entertainment and some mother and son bonding time - I wasn't wrong.

I put together the jar in the morning, a time when my toddlers little hands are wanting to get into everything and tear the house into chaos. I used a glass jar, this was fine as I was staying with him the whole time, I think a plastic jar would be more ideal though if I could find one (I'm a bit particular over my beloved glass jars!). I filled the jar with bits and bobs which Tyler Lee usually tries to get his hands on and things which have some texture to them for a bit of sensory play also. 

 I filled the jar with a very long pearl necklace, a beaded necklace with some shiny beads, some flower hair clips, seashells, some key rings, a reindeer hair clip with a little bell on it, a wooden cloud and some big buttons. As you can see these are all just odds and ends from around my bedroom but these types of things really are like treasure to my child.

To my joy he came right over to where I was sitting on the rug in the sitting room and sat down to sift through and discover all the treasure with me. He loved the key rings and the seashells the best, feeling the rough edges of the shells and the smooth and beaded textures of the key rings. He was entertained for ages and I loved showing him everything, emphasising the word 'treasure' and naming each special thing as he took it out of the jar. He loved taking everything out, putting it back in, taking it back out and so on, he even loved putting the lid on the jar each time.

This may seem like such a small thing but for a mother who has tried to show her child things millions of times but has been met with no interest this was a big breakthrough for us. I loved seeing my boy entertained and excited for the 'treasure' and all the things he wouldn't normally be allowed have (my precious jewellery!). I think the treasure jar is such an ingenious idea and I'm so glad I read Sadhbh's lovely post that morning. I'll be doing more treasure jars in future and including many different things over the years for Tyler Lee. Of course, they won't be too often as treasure is a special thing after all but I hope he'll love exploring everything and seeing what it does everytime.

Do you make treasure jars for your children? What kinds of things do you include?
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17 comments

  1. Its sooooooooooooooo beautiful....Goooooooooooooooooood idea

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  2. I dont know how i never thought of this !

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  3. Wow, this is too precious! I love how little it takes to make a child happy!

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  4. It is good idea and so beautiful. I'll do this to make my nephew happy next time :p

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  5. This is a great idea! I've never heard of treasure jars before- but perhaps that is because I don't have kids!

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  6. Lovely treasure jar! I'm thrilled you found inspiration in my post. It really is the simple things that grab their attention. Sometimes the toys with all the bells and whistles are nothing compared to being allowed touch mummy's 'treasure'! Glad you both enjoyed the time together as well. xxx

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  7. I've never heard of this before such a great idea! it looks very lovely! So pretty!

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  8. I think Tyler Lee woulb be thrild to find some tools, or think that he doesent normally have acces to. Only safe stuff of course. I think he would forget about everything else for a good while. :D

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  9. That's such an interesting idea. Is the purpose of this to get him less interested in messing with your jewelry because he has access to it now or is it to bond with your kids? :) we don't have kids, so this is all very foreign to me.

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  10. Omg I absolutely love this!!! Way too cute ❤❤❤❤

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  11. Those treasures indeed looked beautiful. I love the different textures just in one jar.

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  12. I love this idea! It's a great way to keep all your jewelry dust free while keeping on display too. I will have to try it too!

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  13. This is an awesome idea! My oldest was very similar to your son. She was extremely independent but as time has gone on, she is much more into learning together etc. I love that you had a break through! Those moments are so special.

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  14. oh wow this is so cool and fun, such a nice and cheap way to entertain kids I love it. Glad Tyler lee enjoyed it

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  15. I love the idea of making a treasure jar with the little ones. I want to make one with my son.

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  16. This is too beautiful. I wish I could have thought of this myself too lol!

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  17. My G-baby would like this and think its all for her! Great idea.

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