Bathtub Fishing Game

Back on this reading the whole internet post, I highlighted this post on foam bath toys. I took it one step further and made it into a fishing game! (I have also put some in my Etsy shop)

To find the patterns, I did Swagbucks searches for coloring pages with reasonably simple outlines. I used Microsoft Word to resize the images so they'd be approximately the same size (4" or so, to be easily handled by a toddler). I then traced them onto pieces of 2mm to 3mm craft foam sheets and cut them out.

I wasn't exactly sure how to go about making the net. I found a couple of plastic embroidery hoops at the thrift store and a piece of netting that I think is tulle. I pulled the tulle through to about what I thought would be a good amount of net - enough to actually catch the fish but not so much as to make the fish difficult to retrieve from the net. I folded the extra tulle back over the hoop to provide more layers to hopefully make it stronger and then stitched around by hand through all the layers. It works!

As noted in the linked post above, I saved the extra pieces from cutting out the foam forms. I cut them down into reasonable sized chunks and punched holes in them for Goose to string on a shoelace as a necklace. I actually went one step further, and saved the hole punches as well as the trimmings that were too small for necklace pieces and once Goose is a bit older, we'll use them to make a collage, I think.

For more frugal ideas, visit Life As Mom.