Make your own toys!

I made my first hand-made Waldorf doll last fall at my daughter's school.  The moms sewed together little doll bodies and stuffed them with wool. It's much harder than it looks.  Waldorf dolls are purposely unfinished so that children can use their own creativity in how they play with them.  The doll's emotions and what it represents is more open-ended than, say, a Barbie. 

 I am not a crafty person by any means, but this was a project that inspired other activities in our home.  For one, I actually started sewing on buttons and repairing little tears in seams.  Nothing huge, but hubby was impressed.   From this, I started making little dolls out of socks.  My toddler enjoys carrying around heavy socks stuffed with rice.  I plan to add more detail to the dolls as I have time.  It's a great idea for summer activities.  For the kitty below, I stuffed one of my husband's ankle socks with lentils, covered it with the other sock, and sewed the ears down.  The fish is one of her newborn mittens and the yarn is a leftover scrap.  The heel portion makes a good "face" for the doll.