Posted by Shara Lawrence-Weiss, owner of Mommy Perks and Personal Child Stories (tweeted on Friday, August 28, 2009)

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to create great learning tools or hands on activities. Here are some ideas for you…

Tip 1: Remember the 3 R’s when possible: reduce, reuse, recycle. Look around home for items you can re-format into learning objects.

Tip 2: Grab un-used dish sponges and cut shapes using cookie cutters. These make wonderful bath or water toys. Fine motor development, etc.

Tip 3: Rinse butter tubs and turn into drums. Decorate, put string through to hang over the neck (older kids). Music parade!

Tip 4: Save your bottle caps to use as counting/sorting/decorating items (saves sea life, also).

Tip 5: Use $ bills to teach the presidents (1,5,10,20,50,100). I did that with my son and he learned them in one day. (Age four at the time)

Tip 6: Use coins to teach presidents (penny, nickle, dime, quarter, 50 cent piece). He also learned those in one day. (Age 4 at the time)

Tip 7: Use rice, beans and noodles to count, sort, paint or make charts to graph things, etc. Cheap and fun!

Tip 8: Use cookie cutters to trace – fine motor skill activity. Color them in and teach colors at the same time.

Tip 9: Turn old socks into puppets and host a puppet show. Sew on buttons or draw with markers. Felt works well for the tongue.

Tip 10: Collect rocks outside and create a “rock bed” or “rock garden.” Indoors or outside. Teach geometry facts if possible.

• Make pet rocks, too! (Pet rock idea suggested by Holly Hanna)

Tip 11: Make up songs any time you can. When you put lessons and ideas to rhyme, kids learn very quickly. It’s free!

Tip 12: Use a real potato to create your own “Mr Potato Head.” Use other items from home for the arms, face, left, etc.

Tip 13: Turn old clothing into dress up clothes. Sew pieces together if you know how. Kids love imaginative play & this is a cheap way!

Tip 14: Use family photos to teach face recognition, feelings, expressions, colors, numbers and more.

Tip 15: Make homemade play dough: It’s cheap, makes a lot and lasts 3 months if bagged.