What's the best/worst large toy investment you've made?

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Originally Posted by Dreamalittledream

I.... Definitely going to check out what a light table is. I've never heard of it.

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Here is a great blog with some awesome examples of different light tables and what to use them for ...

http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/s...20with%20Light

However my space is small and at this point I do not have for a large options so we use one from Michaels Craft Store like this - it only has a 12x12 exploration surface so more for just one friend at a time.

http://www.michaels.com/Artograph-Li...efault,pd.html

I love blocks of any kind - my favourite is the lego primo - baby lego but I understand it isn't made anymore. I like it because it goes together easily and is easier for toddlers to stack than regular blocks because each one nests on the one before. Think Lego totally marketed this product wrong so no wonder it wasn't popular.

I wish more doll/playhouse toys were made a bit more rugged so that they could take the abuse of toddlers. Cars and trucks are made that way but dolly stuff is more cute than durable. I also wish more toys for preschoolers would take into account that there are infants and toddlers in the room too and make pieces safe enough for all to touch so the preschoolers wouldn't have to play apart.

I buy all my 'doll/playhouse' things from Value Village - we have real pots and pans and accessories in the kitchen, I use open ended materials as the 'food' like actual empty and washed food containers, we have our collection of lids from Playdoh containers in different colors which are large enough not to be chokers but can be 'cookies, pizza, dinner' etc ... so that it is 'cheap' to replace if ruined by the smaller ones.

Also instead of buying those 'cheap' dress up clothes from Walmart and Scholars I invest in actually 'dress up clothes' from Value Village ... got us some cool communion dresses and Easter dresses for 'princess' and some navy suit jackets for 'police officer / prince / office worker' and so forth. Same with clothes for our dolls - they are actual baby clothes and cloth diapers I have collected from either clients or garage sales and so forth .... way cheaper if you watch for deals!

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Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio

I buy all my 'doll/playhouse' things from Value Village - we have real pots and pans and accessories in the kitchen, I use open ended materials as the 'food' like actual empty and washed food containers, we have our collection of lids from Playdoh containers in different colors which are large enough not to be chokers but can be 'cookies, pizza, dinner' etc ... so that it is 'cheap' to replace if ruined by the smaller ones.

Also instead of buying those 'cheap' dress up clothes from Walmart and Scholars I invest in actually 'dress up clothes' from Value Village ... got us some cool communion dresses and Easter dresses for 'princess' and some navy suit jackets for 'police officer / prince / office worker' and so forth. Same with clothes for our dolls - they are actual baby clothes and cloth diapers I have collected from either clients or garage sales and so forth .... way cheaper if you watch for deals!

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Great idea!! Also, the Homesense store near me sells off it's leftover Halloween costumes really cheap. Those zip up furry animal ones and my kids all love them! I think they were $5 each!

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Originally Posted by michellesmunchkins

Mine was the indoor play house. Kids love it, takes up a lot of room, but keeps them occupied for hours. I hated having the train table. Kids ripped the tracks off all the time and hid them to the point where we could never find all the pieces. I too have tried the ride of toys but find the kids use them more as weapons to run over the smaller children so those have now been moved outside :)

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I love love love my playhouse too! Best investment to any daycare. Also a good playkitchen gives endless hours of fun too!

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Originally Posted by FlexFunCare

Best: Getting the entire little peoples town, including the track with the train (only two pieces that aren't ripped apart easily and can't be run off with. The farm, the castle, everything. I best part is that there is about three of every character or animal so there's no arguments that so and so has the toy so and so wants.

Worst: My assortment of puzzles. The kids don't play with them, they just throw the pieces everywhere. Now I'm missing pieces to some very expensive musical puzzles (you know: where you put the last piece in and it sings to you) I need to re-think how I've set them up maybe. Put them out of reach and bring just a few down during motor skills time.

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Sooooo true about the puzzles! Can't stand it!

I usually have 3 different types of puzzles: Large floor puzzles that measure a few feet across. I keep all of them in their own see-through rubbermaid container every time we are done one. We use a large floor puzzle sometimes at the end of circle time so that we do a group activity together. The floor puzzles are on a higher shelf where only the 3 year olds could reach on tiptoe or by asking me.

The wooden big knob puzzles for the 1-2 year olds. Those are on a lower shelf and accessible to everyone but no issues. Either the kids or I tend to put any pieces back as needed.

and then there are larger wooden puzzles with 12-48 pieces. I leave the 12 piece ones out and accessible and the 48 piece ones up higher where someone has to ask me for it and I can keep an eye on it.

No issues with puzzles. The kids love them and they are great for developing logic and hand-eye coordination.

I only do wooden puzzles other than the floor puzzles.