Toddler Busy Bag: Noodles on a Rope

I had hoped to participate in a Busy Bag swap, but was too late to enter.  One of the Busy Bags was for these cut-up pool noodles and a rope.  This is a great activity for practicing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.  You can also work in color recognition.

Although it's still summer, it was somewhat difficult to find any pool noodles.  I finally found some at Target, and they were on sale!

I began by cutting the noodles into ~2" sections (I didn't measure) with a serrated knife.  Cutting was very easy and fast.

I bought the rope at Home Depot.  In retrospect, I probably should've gotten a thicker rope, but Gracie will just have to work a little bit harder to learn how to string the noodles!

I tied one end to a noodle (to keep the other noodles on the rope).  On my first string, I used a candle lighter to burn the other end of the rope, but I didn't like how that turned out.  It didn't look good, and I felt like it would invite a chewing opportunity for my daughter.  So, I simply tied a knot in the other end.

Each gallon bag contains 15 noodles (not counting the one on the string).

With the three noodles that I bought, it was enough to make up eight busy bags.  One is for my daughter, another is for a friend, ~four are for whoever responds to my Facebook call-out (locally), and two are for a future Giveaway on this blog!  (Stay Tuned!)

I introduced Gracie to the Busy Bag right after her nap.  She was intrigued by it.  She couldn't really string the noodles without help, but she enjoyed playing with them.  She found my stash of extras and wanted to carry those around with her as well.

UPDATE:  I modified the string to make it easier for Gracie to string the noodles on it.  I cut off a section of a drinking straw and inserted it on the end, tying a knot on either end to hold it in place.  She hasn't shown any interest in trying it yet (she was ready for a nap), but it will definitely help her.  Using a jumprope would work as well.

WARNING:  This busy bag activity is considered to be a choking hazard, so parental supervision is a necessity.  My daughter bit a small chunk off of one of the noodles.  Fortunately, my husband and I were both right there and noticed it right away.  Also keep in mind that any string or rope would be a strangulation hazard as well.