I don’t know about you, but for us, last week was one of “THOSE” weeks–with school ending, the 6 big kids needing to complete last minute HUGE assignments the size of Jupiter, (May I interject, ‘Why?’) awards ceremonies to go to, items to buy, lost library books to find–you name it! It was crazy busy.
I needed something the 2 youngest at home could do that would keep them not only happy, but also out of trouble so I could, you know, keep all the kids alive by making dinner, and keep them clothed by washing the laundry–little stuff like that.
Play doh is of course always a great go-to activity, but right now my son is also very into building structures and creating something out of nothing! He also loves getting out his good ol’ Monkeys in a Barrel game (see end of post) and linking up the monkeys, trying to make them swing and all that good stuff. But he’s just 2 and can’t get the hang (haha, punny much?) of the real monkeys in a barrel game, so sometimes he gets a bit frustrated.
So I thought, why not combine 3 things he loves–play doh, monkeys in a barrel, and sticks to make a tree, and let him have a go at that!
IT.WAS.A.HIT. And by “hit” I mean he played with it for nearly an hour. An HOUR, I tell you! His 5 year old sister played with it too, and when she was done, he played with hers!
The mess was minimal. The whining was minimal. The frustration was minimal. But the happiness and satisfaction were MAXIMUM! Plus all the fine motor skills at work when his chubby little fingers carefully made the monkeys swing from the trees by hooking them onto the “branches,” was just so cute to watch!
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What you need:
Play doh
Sticks with small “branches”
At least one bored toddler or preschooler 
Now, the pictures!
We worked on putting the play doh in the top half of the barrel together, then he put the trees (sticks) in all by himself!
He felt so big and satisfied that he could make them hang from the trees all by himself!
We balanced the bottom half of the barrel underneath (it kind of clicks in, so it doesn’t fall off) so the monkeys could hang down further.
Big sister has fun with this great activity as well!
Oh, what fun you can have with play doh, a barrel of monkeys (plastic!) and sticks!
He wanted to do his sister’s tree from scratch once she was done!
Just…just…awwwwwww
You could also use a deep dish tray or bigger bowl, but we just didn’t have enough play doh in one color. This would also be a great activity to do with home made play dough of some kind.
I hope you and your kids have fun with this idea and build on it as much as you like! Happy creating and playing!
PS If you are interested in the monkeys in a barrel game, here it is for easy access:
