I wrote yesterday about the Craft Fair, and how many adult-like people asked me “What are they?” about the I Spy bags. Aside from having no signage and having one woman repeat after me, “Ice Pie? You mean you put it in the freezer?”, it occured to me that my readers (are there 2 of you yet?) might not know either.
I shall elucidate. The classic I Spy game is based on one person naming an object in clue form, “I spy with my little eye, something luminescent, radiant, and electric” to which the other person, upon scanning the room, says, “Is it a lightbulb?” Kids probably say, “I spy…something blue” and then stare directly at it, waiting for you to name the dog’s water dish, while you give chase, naming all the other minutia in the room that is blue. An I Spy bag is also a hide and seek game.
I fill a 9″x9″ pouch with doll beads (PVC pellets) and 40-someodd small dollar-store toys (baby shower supplies are choice, small plastic animals, GI Joe figurines, party favors, hair clips) and junk-drawer mess (paper clips, bread tags, binder clips, foreign coins, buttons, puzzle pieces, bottle caps). Then I seal it up and attach a tag listing the contents. Here’s what my bags look like:
You can see I attached a laminated tag with a picture of all the contents. My contents tags have a word list on one side, and a picture map on the other side. I love the pictures because pre-literate kids can match what they find to the pictures, or go looking for an item on the card without needing a grown up to read it to them. “Mom what’s this? What’s it say? Mom, what should I find next? Mom? Mom!” Here’s what a picture map looks like:
The grid is an added “feature”. Kids can challenge themselves or others to find all the items in box 7. They’re grouped in some sort of order, by farm animals, round objects, vehicles, buttons, or beads.
Here is the value:
Waiting in a doctor’s office, sitting quietly in church, riding in a shopping cart, enduring an endless car ride, children can entertain themselves quietly, with no lost pieces, no noisy buttons, and no need for adult support, even for young kids.
Therapeutically, I can see speech language pathologists using them to build vocabulary, practice articulation targets (imagine a bag filled with just /s/ words!), follow directions (“Find the pig, then the dragon.”), teach language concepts (“Where’s the big round bead?”), or use them as a reward for doing other work. I also work with occupational therapists, so I now understand the value of an I Spy bag in this field as well. First, they’re weighted. They provide sensory feedback to kids who crave it. They also require manual manipulation to move around the pellets. You can use one hand to strengthen it, or both hands to learn coordination. You can squeeze it, poke it, shake it, etc, trying to find the objects and you’re not even thinking about therapy. I received an e-mail today from a woman on craftster.org who made one for her 4 year old who has vision challenges. With her I Spy bag, she is working on tracking, visual discrimination, focusing, matching, and never realizing it’s therapy.
Did I mention how awesome these things are? I think they’re worth far more than the $18 I’m offering them for. I just need to figure a way into the market. I know it’s a great toy. Kids do, too. Their parents just need to realize it. And then pay me money for my creations. And then all will be well in the world.
6 comments
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April 20, 2009 at 8:44 am
Mr. Apron
I don’t get it. I don’t see anything about Ice Pigs anywhere here.
I WANT MY ICE PIG!
April 20, 2009 at 9:01 am
shelley
I saw these on another website courtesy of you and i thought she should copyright that craft. Why dont you pitch it to the I Spy people.http://www.scholastic.ca/ispy/books/bigbooks.htm
It is a fantastic idea and kids are so creative.. give them time and they will be making up their own games with this toy.
April 20, 2009 at 10:06 am
Bekki
That is an absolutely AMAZING creation. I don’t normally comment on blogs, but for this, I just had to. It’s such a brilliant idea!
May 27, 2009 at 8:58 pm
An Ode to Teflon « SLiPs of the Tongue
[…] making some more I Spy Bags for some friends and customers, a task I had not been looking forward to. I’d cut out all […]
March 25, 2011 at 8:39 pm
amber
what did you use for the window ? And if you used vinyl , what gauge is it ? And did your sewing machine sew it fine ? I’m having trouble making them. . Thanks
March 25, 2011 at 9:53 pm
slipsofthetongue
I’m not sure what gauge I used. I just picked a middle weight from what was available at the fabric store. As for sewing the vinyl, I have a few tips. I currently use a teflon presser foot, and it’s miraculous. It just glides right over the vinyl. When I first started making these, however, I had only my old machine, with its metal feet. Back then, I put a strip of tissue paper over the vinyl (sandwich-style. Fabric on bottom, vinyl in the middle, tissue paper on top). You sew right through all 3 layers. When you’re done, simply rip off the tissue paper! More tedious than using a teflon foot, but much cheaper…