100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 92: Toddler Fan Ball

Andrew invented a new game that the kids love. He set up a box fan in my parents' living room and set it on high speed (be careful of little fingers!). Oliver would drop some light-weight balls in front of the fan, and then the kids would watch them blow around the room! There's a video of the activity down at the bottom of this post to show how the game works.

It sounds odd, probably because it is. They both got a real kick out of it, though, and Jo ran after the balls and fetched them over and over again. They had the best time!

Here's Oliver setting the ball in front of the box fan:

And there goes Jo, chasing after it!

Happiest and proudest toddler ever?

Chasing after the balls is so much fun! I feel like we're playing fetch with the kids, only without having to do anything.

This next photo is unrelated but cracks me up. We brought out a taller fan for the kids to check out. Oliver covered his ears in case it was noisy. After studying him for a bit, Jo decided to cover her ears, too. You know, just in case!

Here's a video to show how this game works:
                                                         

I give "Toddler Fan Ball" a grade A! It's easy to set up, takes minimal effort, leaves no mess, and gives the kids a way to run out their energy! Possible cons deal with safety: tripping over fan cords or reaching into the fan. I hope your toddler loves this as much as mine does!

100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 89: Toddler Ball Pit

I found this pin from Rookie Moms on Pinterest months ago and then forgot about it. Then, today, I took the kids to Target to shop for presents for two birthday parties we're attending this weekend. Large bags of play balls were on clearance for $7.50! They were on an end-cap in the toy section at my local Target. I picked up a bag for us and a bag for our friend turning 1.

As soon as we made it in the door, the kids started begging to play.

I set up the play yard and dumped all 150 balls in there. As an FYI, this ended up being enough for the kids, but I'd imagine you could easily add a second bag unless your kid is really little.

At first, Jo hated the toddler ball pit. I set her inside, and she started crying and stood up for me to pull her out.

Oliver had a great time throwing balls and rolling on them and kicking them!

After nap time, we tried again. First, Jo watched Oliver play. When she seemed comfortable, I stuck her back into the ball pit. Success!

Jo banged balls together, kicked at them, and squealed with joy!

I grabbed a mixing bowl and pitcher and handed them to the kids. They filled them up and poured the balls back out. Oliver even filled the bowl according to color.

This activity was a major success! I have a feeling our ball pit is going to stay set up all weekend.

Pros: Easy to set up, no mess, and tons of fun!

Cons: Possible injury (especially if you have two kids in the pit) and it costs money to do

I give this activity an A-

Here's a video of their toddler ball pit fun: