Ok, so I have done very little related to this free inquiry over the last week or so. We have had so much going on and I have had so little time to spend with Noah, that this project has kind of fallen to the back burner. So, in order to spark my interest again, I have gone back to the internet.

Here are some sources that I found for making simple but interesting busy boards at home.

 

I liked the busy board in this video because I don;t think anything was too complicated to include construction wise. I will likely have my dad help me put Noah’s busy board together, but many of the examples that I have looked at have required special wood cutting tools and some idea of how to wire things. I think Noah would be really happy with this board and everything was pretty much just screwed on. I can handle that. I also really liked the idea of the xylophone being put on here and the sticks being attached to the board. Noah has a xylophone that he got for his birthday, which he loved, but the sticks have already gone missing. I’m not sure I would include it on his busy board because it is attached to a little drum and another noise making item, but if I see a xylophone on its own in a thrift store I might pick it up.

 

Make a Toddler Busy Board That’s Supernova

The website above has a really simple step by step for creating a busy board. I think it is particularly useful because it touches on the reasons behind including certain things. For instance, there should be something that allows the baby to explore cause and effect and other things to engage specific senses like something that makes noise, something that is visually engaging and potentially something that is more kinesthetic.

Finally, I liked the video above because, again, it is very simple to construct, and also it gave some suggestions for mounting the board. I still haven’t fully decided where Noah’s busy board will go, but I want to make sure that it is very secure because I do know that know likes to play rough and pull on things.

 

Next Steps:

  • consider the placement and size of Noah’s busy board
  • buy the actual board
  • start collecting items to go on the busy board
  • keep looking for inspiration and trialing ideas with Noah