Stuff to Make Toys With

[The Outlaw]

Toy parts you may have overlooked

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Just rummaging around in my toy parts bins for stuff I use on bird toys.

Here's just some of the recycled stuff that I turned up:

Bottle caps from sodas, water bottles, milk bottles, etc.
Bottle caps from detergent bottles
Plastic shower curtain rings
Plastic cafe curtain rings
Cardboard puzzle pieces
cotton garden gloves
Jewelry boxes
Plastic prescription bottles
Bamboo pole (cut into 3" sections, left over from a carpet)
Coconut shells
McDonalds and Burger King kids toys
Odds and ends kids socks
wooden spoons
soda straws
Dixie cups (new, but they don't fit the bathroom dispenser)
toilet paper and paper towel rolls
newspaper
plastic cookie cutters
margarine tubs and lids
natural raffia
L'eggs containers
plastic bowling pins and balls from kids ball pit
wiffle balls
leftover rolls of crepe paper from birthday party
balloons left over from halloween party
odd teaspoons from Goodwill

This is of course in addition to leather straps, wood blocks and turnings, small plastic dice, rings, pacifiers and beads, etc.

I buy up teaspoons, shorten the handles and bend the neck of the spoons over to form a loop. I use them inside of large parrot bells after I remove the clangers. They make lots of noise are bird safe.

I blow up the balloons and make papier mache Easter eggs for Miss Lily every year. You simply make up a flour paste and soak strips of newsprint until saturated. Completely cover the balloons and allow them to dry. Once they are hard, you puncture the balloon and cut out an access window, leaving one side hinged. Fill with treats (for the birds, its popcorn and little plastic toys, nuts and brightly colored cut up soda straws). Use another piece of newspaper and close the access door. You can now cover the hole thing with crepe paper streamers. Make small ones for the birds. Barely inflate the balloons.

You can string drilled pieces of kids cardboard puzzles on clotheslines and string across the cages. Great fun, zero expense.

You can use the jewelry boxes, presciption bottles, coconut shells and L'eggs containers to hide treats in, too. Or, you can drill a hole on the edge of the coconut shell and mount it on your playgym as a treat cup. I let mine swivel so I can discard the seed hulls and nut shells easily.

Before you discard it, think about the possibilities.

[Doug W]

This list is great Nancy! I am printing this one out. I have to get to work *BIG smiles*! We have many things on this list, if not all of them.

I am not the most 'hands on creative' person, but I am going to give this a go.

Thank you again - this is awesome!