This is one of those ideas that is all over the internet. And for good reason — it’s easy, cheap/free and has almost universal appeal. It’s like a treasure hunt in a jar!
I started with a plastic peanut butter jar and washed it thoroughly and removed the label.
I have seen a lot of I spy jars filled with rice, sand or dried beans, but I ended up using some pony beads that I have had forever. They were free and I was glad to give them a higher purpose. Plus all the color makes it look more festive.
I am a collector of odd junk objects, so it was easy to gather up various plastic toys and other small bits that would be fun to find.
And then I threw them in the jar on top of the beads. The rule of thumb is to fill the jar about two-thirds, leaving one-third empty for shakeability.
This next step is completely optional, but I wasn’t about to let that Skippy logo on top of the lid stay visible. So I cut a circle of scrapbook paper to the size of the lid and Mod Podged it on.
I put the top on and tested it out. Some of the larger toys (namely the frog and the lizard) weren’t really working. They kept getting tangled in everything and never really were hidden by the beads, so I removed them. Once things looked good to me, I glued the lid to the jar. Elise really isn’t capable of taking off a lid yet, but it’s only a matter of time, I’m sure.
Many of the objects are large enough that this game isn’t very difficult, but I do think it is age appropriate or will be in a short while. I may save it for later because right now she doesn’t quite seem to think it is much more than a rattle.
