I Week- I Spy Bottle

I first came upon the idea for an I spy bottle a couple of months ago on I Can Teach My Child. Genius! I had made a couple of them already as gifts but hadn't made one for Trip yet. Terrible, I know. I week seemed like the perfect occasion to finally put one together for him. 

Any small to medium plastic bottle will work for this project. (Glass bottles can work too but will be heavier and have some chance of breaking.) I like to find bottles that have fairly smooth sides without too many ridges. I have also found that the easiest bottles to use are the ones that have the label shrink-wrapped to them so they just cut or tear right off and you don't have to mess with any sticky residue. So far, I have seen this feature on iced tea and orange juice bottles.

Once the label is off, add all sorts of household items, knickknacks, toys, letters, and such. I like to use foam letters to spell out the child's name, mini erasers, crayons, golf pencils, nails/screws/nuts/bolts, buttons, bouncy balls, jingle bells, small plastic animals and insects, coins, and more. The possibilities are endless!

Your bottle can have a theme (I would like to try fall/Halloween and Christmas) or just contain things your child likes.

Once your objects are in the bottle, fill it about two-thirds full of sand, sugar, salt, rice, tiny pasta letters or stars (often found in the Mexican section of the supermarket), or any combination thereof. I also like to add some glitter to make it more colorful. Glue the lid on with some super glue, and you're all set! Some people like to glue some fabric around the cap or tie it with a ribbon to make it more decorative, but so far I have just left mine plain.

Trip was happy with his bottle, but really wanted to open the "door" (aka lid) and was a little frustrated that he couldn't. With older children, it would be fun to let them choose what goes in the bottle. This could also be a great way to remember a vacation or special event by including some small pictures and trinkets.  

When I make these as gifts, I like to attach a laminated list of what is in the bottle.