Best toys for under $10 (or free?)

[Boobycino]

I just thought I'd put this out there.

I bought Jasper a washing basket from woolies today, as they were $1 off at the grand asking price of $3 and he LOVES it, he's been sitting in it, putting stuff in it, dragging it around. If he breaks it, I'm not worried, and heck, I could even use it to put washing in from time to time!

Aside from the obvious rice in a plastic bottle (which is still AWESOME, dont get me wrong!), what other things have you found to be great for bubbas on a budget!?

[MummaFug]

I bought the IKEA clear tupperware with blue lids (its something like 20pcs for $7) and have made HEAPS of different things ...

* Buttons - cut a hole in the top and DD puts the buttons in

*Pegs - clip pegs around the outside

*The sml containers... Blu tack on a tray and paste coloured card in the bottom... I then give DD a bucket with diff coloured things in them and help her sort them into colors

*stacking

*give her a wooden spoon and let her drum away

*pasta scooping/pouring

I have used the tupperware in the bath, dirt, sand ... anywhere and it is all hers

[Mum2Mimi]

cardboard toilet paper roll
Pots & wooden spoon
Playdoh
Blowing bubbles

[Lateralus]

DD just loves shredding paper... so any old magazines go in the 'Zoe' pile and she sets to work demolishing them. Granted it makes a pile of mess, but it keeps her quiet and happy!

[BabelFish]

Empty tissue box and cheap packet of hankies. She puts them in, pulls them out ... lots of fun!

Also, just hankies full stop. It's amazing how many ways a child can find to play with a bunch of hankies.

[TacoFest]

You can make play dough for really cheap. Dd loves cardboard boxes. Dp's brother is a carpenter and collected a whole heap of wood cut offs and sanded them down and painted them and made her the cutest set of blocks. This could easily be done using sandpaper. Also instruments can be made with cheap pvc pipes. Just put rice pasta buttons etc in pipe and put plastic over the ends

[HuntersMum]

I sewed a lot of short (3cm) pieces of scrap ribbon onto a piece of material. Both my DS's loved it they would sit for hours looking at the tags, chewing on them, flicking them back and forth. Great for developing fine motor skills.

[Annabella]

cheap stickers- another great one for fine motor skills. just to stick on paper, or can draw circles for them to stick them on etc.

Also textas/crayons/pencils etc and paper

coloured water and glitter in a bottle

[Poppetfish]

Food coulring and water frozen into ice cubes and put the child in the bath. My children paint the bath tub until the cube melts.

Also tins of food. They both love rolling and stacking and lining up all the tins in my cupboard. My DS has his fav (canaolli bean tin) I cant bring myself to use it as he loves it. It is in his bed ahile he sleeps tonight.

[Tam-I-Am]

A bottle filled with water, containing glitter, buttons, interesting beads etc, with the lid glued on.

A pillow case with bits of cellophane, things that make noise, things that make different shapes etc, sewed shut.