Our older son really loves Playmobil. We got a small set at a thrift store a few years ago, and then a larger box at a garage sale a few months later. Then some friends with a son who had outgrown his Playmobil gave us several sets. Our son often plays for hours at a time with those toys, incorporating lots of other stuff (blocks, lego, little animals, etc.) into whatever he’s creating. And our two-year-old is starting to get the hang of it too – although sometimes he still just wants to knock down whatever is being built…
Because I ordered a replacement part for one of the sets last year, I ended up on the Playmobil mailing list, and last week we got their new catalog in the mail. I gave it to our son, letting him know that we wouldn’t be ordering anything (we have plenty already), but that he could use the catalog as inspiration for building things with the stuff he already has. He did pretty well with that concept, but he’s only five and he loved pretty much everything in the catalog. It was a good opportunity to talk about having enough, and about how buying things doesn’t really make us any happier. But although he did seem to understand some of what I was talking about, he still kept mentioning how much he’d love some of the luggage that was on the airport page.
He showed me that the luggage had handles and wheels like the bags his grandparents had when we picked them up at the airport recently (he thought the baggage claim area was fascinating). I thought about it for a while, and decided that we could make some luggage for his little people using stuff we had around the house.
A little while later, this is what we ended up with:
The wheels are just a couple washers on a bolt, with a nut on the end to hold everything in place (I superglued the nut so that it can’t come off). Then I sewed a piece of felt around the bolt and made it long enough to be a platform to which we could attach the bag. Then I sewed up a little bag, added a brad and a string loop so that it could be opened and closed, and sewed it onto the piece of felt that was already attached to the wheels. It’s now holding a pair of Playmobil snowshoes, all set for a winter vacation destination.
I made one other piece of luggage, which was even easier. This one only took a few minutes to put together, using scraps of felt to make a little duffle bag.
(Please excuse that little crumb…)
A dignified Mr. Bunny heading out on a trip with his fancy new duffle bag.
Our son thinks these are pretty nifty. And I think it’s pretty great to take inspiration from a marketing catalog and turn it into an opportunity to teach a child that it’s more fun to create something than it is to just whip out the credit card.
kellygroves13 says
Love it!
frugalbabe says
Thanks Kelly!
BigMama says
FB,
Very inspired. I believe that humans get a great sense of satisfaction from making things with their hands. It’s what humans have done since the beginning. In past eras this was built into everyday life – people hunted, gathered, tanned leather, spun wool, gardened, sewed, knitted, built houses and sheds, cooked meals from scratch – because it was the only way to get things. And I know it was not always easy or enjoyable.
Nowadays most people earn a living in a very specialized area, then acquire things by buying them. We buy ready-made toys, meals, clothes, houses, etc… And although this has its advantages, we have lost the sense of satisfaction and success that comes with making things ourselves. I even think our “hands” know there is something missing.
I believe your son will appreciate the pieces of luggage more than if you had bought them from the catalog, because they are HIS by making, not just by buying. He got the luggage, but his hands and brain got something additional..
frugalbabe says
Agreed! Doing stuff (as opposed to just consuming) and making things are essential parts of being happy and fulfilled. Some people are lucky enough to have jobs that incorporate that sort of thing on a daily basis. But if you don’t, modern life almost requires you to go out of your way to get that sort of experience worked into your life on a regular basis. We’ve made it easy to go from one end of a month to the other without making anything. This post is an example of how it’s really pretty easy, and it doesn’t have to be the Taj Mahal… you can make something really simple and small, and it still makes you feel really good!
Kate says
Thanks for the inspiration. I am always afraid to show my kids catalogs. It is important to teach them lessons as they grow. Thanks for the reminder. Much needed!!
frugalbabe says
Glad you liked it! Our kids get almost no advertising influence because we don’t have a TV, we hardly ever go to retail stores, and we almost never get catalogs in the mail. The Playmobil catalog was the first catalog we’ve had in years. Even so, our son was enthralled, and (not surprisingly) wanted everything in the catalog. Definitely a good opportunity to talk about all the reasons we prefer to buy things secondhand – which means we see what’s available and make our selections based on that, rather than getting our hearts set on something in particular and then paying whatever it costs to get that particular item. And it obviously also turned into a good lesson on the fun that can be had by finding inspiration and making something yourself rather than just buying stuff.