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I have been trying to think of some good ideas of things to play with for my 2 year-old in his 'alone time'. He hasn't quite mastered the skill of occupying himself, and I was going to get some new things to help keep him busy during the times I need to work with the girls. I have read a lot about Lakeshore Learning, but their website is overwhelming. Does anyone have anything specific from that company that they really like? I just need some good ideas in general for my little guy. Thanks in advance!
Stephanie

I'm interested in the replies as well! I will be right where you are with a 2 year old in October! I think there is a Lakeshore Learning Store near where my grandmother lives and I will be out that way tomorrow. If I have time (I hope so!), I am going peek in there and see what they have!

Here are some things that have worked in our house.
My 2 year old will sit and color at the table while the older 2 work. He then frequently gets down and goes to the playroom to play where he can still see me. I am going to try giving him a different bucket of cars to play with in his room on his new car carpet to see if that will give me some time to read with the olders uninteruptted. Frequently if we have just rotated toys he is happy to play by himself. He is also allowed to play with math manipulatives during school time only. My boys love the funtastic frogs. I also have a peg board from Discovery Toys, lacing cards, play dough toys (he is allergic to wheat, which is in playdough, so he just plays with the cleaned toys), peg puzzles, cuisenaire rods, letter magnets, and lacing beads.

There is also the old stand by: keep a bucket or two of toys the child can only play with when the olders are doing school. Also, having a bucket you can swap out (it is full of toys and activites, stored away in a closet for a month). Then you move your buckets around: 1 to hide in the closet, 1 for school, 1 for other times. A month later: rotate again.

Also, try swapping a few toys with a neighbor you trust. It is new the child and is cheaper.

Lakeshore is great but it can be pretty expensive and very enticing when you walk in.

Good luck!!

If you are comfortable letting them use the computer there are some great websites that my 2.5 yo loves to play on... she'll play on starfall.com for hours and we recently discovered noggin.com

My 2.5 year old enjoys coloring on a small white board with dry erase markers. He also has some Lauri toys (stacking pegs, foam people that he can stack). I need to take the advice of rotating them out though; he's starting to get bored and was throwing blocks at his siblings today.

He loves playing on the computer (we have an old one in the schoolroom). We have the free Publix (grocery store) Preschool Pals, plus Sammy Snake (science activities). Sometimes he opens Word and just types. I am simply amazed at what my 2 year old can do with a computer!

Stephanie,

I'll paste a response of mine below that I typed for another mom on the very lengthy scheduling thread awhile back. There may be a few ideas in there that may help a bit:

"I agree that we have also used Lakeshore toys for years with our boys. They are incredibly durable and each comes with its own box for storage. If you can purchase them at a local teacher store, you'll save a ton on shipping. Lakeshore charges a huge shipping and handling fee and tax too! If you can combine an order with another mom, you'll do better with shipping.

Beau is a gatherer, so he loves objects of any kind in a lidded container. The lidded container is for MY sanity. We cleared out a bottom cupboard in the kitchen for the toddler which contains his toys. He must put away one mess before getting out another one.

Beau has also enjoyed blocks in a plastic container with a lid, foam letters in a lidded tub, plastic bug counters in a lidded container, unifix cubes he can snap together and take apart, a markerboard with a variety of low odor dry erase markers, plastic easter eggs which can be put together sometimes with a cheerio or other object in them (we store them in a drawstring bag), a cheerio book to place cheerios on the insets in the pages, a variety of counters (such as rubber apples, fish, and ladybugs each in its own lidded container), and paper taped to the highchair tray with washable markers. In all honesty, Beau loved to get out the container, take off the lid and dump, count, arrange the objects. Then, he'll pick them up (with help from me) and get out a new set. This keeps him busy for quite awhile, and he goes to his cupboard all throughout the day.

During his crib time, he has loved a big set of Mega Blocks and an oversized magnetic rods and balls set. That just happens to be his personality though. He also has a plastic cash register with large coins and a singing Barney which he adores. A "Learn Through Music" sing along toy with touch screen and large "cassettes" you slide into the player has been a favorite of my last two boys. Different "cassettes" can be purchased to play in the player. Wooden blocks in a wooden tray is another favorite. He has a stuffed dolphin that he borrows from his oldest brother as his favorite stuffed toy.

When my other boys were his age, a set of racecars and plastic tractors were their favorites. A giant pegboard was also a hit. Other teacher store style items my boys have used and enjoyed include a lidded heart shaped box of "candies" in which the candies are shapes with chocolate "tops" that come off of each candy, stacking cups, large poppet style plastic beads that snap together, toys that nest one within the other, an Elmo to which the child can add ears, eyes, etc. (similar to Mr. Potato Head), and a wooden ball pounder with small wooden hammer (only used during crib-time or others get hurt ).

I'm not sure if that helps at all.

Blessings,
Carrie