Joy’s Recommendations

Everything we actually use, in one place

These are the 68 things that made it into our real baskets, parties and bookshelf — nothing here is on the list because someone sent it to me. For each one I’ve written what it is, where we used it, and why I’d buy it again.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. I only ever link to things we own and use at home.

Picture books we read again and again

Every one of these is on our shelf. They have clear characters and big feelings, which makes them wonderful for dressing up and acting out.

Our number one

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

What it is: A quiet story about a child whose tower falls down, and all the animals who offer advice.
Where we used it: The book we open first in our hand puppet theater basket.
Why I recommend it: It taught my kids more about comforting a friend than anything I have said out loud.

View on Amazon See it in Dress-Up Story Time →

The Boy and the Bear by Tracey Corderoy & Sarah Massini

What it is: A winter friendship story about making room for someone new.
Where we used it: Story time with a blanket cave and a bear costume.
Why I recommend it: The illustrations are so cozy that it slows the whole room down at bedtime.

View on Amazon See it in Dress-Up Story Time →

A Little Bit Brave by Nicola Kinnear

What it is: A shy rabbit discovers courage on a small adventure.
Where we used it: Our go-to before anything new and slightly scary.
Why I recommend it: Perfect for a cautious child who needs to hear that brave can be small.

View on Amazon See it in Dress-Up Story Time →

Tom's Magnificent Machines by Linda Sarah & Ben Mantle

What it is: An inventor dad and a son who learns to see the magic in what he builds.
Where we used it: Read before every cardboard building morning.
Why I recommend it: It sends kids straight to the recycling box to invent something of their own.

View on Amazon See it in Dress-Up Story Time →

On Sudden Hill by Linda Sarah & Benji Davies

What it is: A story about friendship, jealousy, and making space for three.
Where we used it: Story time with cardboard boxes, exactly like the book.
Why I recommend it: The best book I know for siblings and for the third friend who feels left out.

View on Amazon See it in Dress-Up Story Time →

Just Right for Two by Tracey Corderoy & Rosalind Beardshaw

What it is: A lonely dog learns that treasures are better when shared.
Where we used it: Read with a little suitcase of collected treasures beside us.
Why I recommend it: It always ends with my kids emptying their pockets to show me their own treasures.

View on Amazon See it in Dress-Up Story Time →

Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson

What it is: A rabbit who collects far too much and learns to share his home.
Where we used it: Story time with animal puppets, one per friend in the story.
Why I recommend it: Funny enough to be requested nightly, and it makes tidying up a joke we share.

View on Amazon See it in Dress-Up Story Time →

Everyday tools we actually use

The few things that live on our kitchen counter and get pulled out again and again, week after week.

Most used in our home

Laminating machine

What it is: A small, quiet home laminator that warms up in a couple of minutes.
Where we used it: Our whole laminating basket: memory cards, paper dolls, bingo boards, recipe cards.
Why I recommend it: It turned every printable in this blog into something reusable. Nothing gets torn, spilled on, or reprinted.

View on Amazon See it in The Laminating Basket →

Laminating pouches

What it is: Letter-size 3 mil pouches, sold in a big pack.
Where we used it: Every laminated card, coaster, and dry-erase page we make.
Why I recommend it: 3 mil is the sweet spot: stiff enough for little hands, thin enough that the machine never jams.

View on Amazon See it in The Laminating Basket →

Large bottle of white school glue

What it is: A big refill bottle of washable white glue.
Where we used it: Papier-mâché figures at our back to school party, and most collage mornings.
Why I recommend it: Buying the big bottle once means I never say no to a messy glue project because we are running low.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Pastel honeycomb beeswax sheets for candle making

What it is: 21 soft 8x8 inch honeycomb beeswax sheets in seven macaron colors, with wick included.
Where we used it: Our rolled beeswax candle basket — rolling candles and pressing on little wax stars and hearts.
Why I recommend it: No melting, no heat, no mess. The sheets soften between small palms and stick to themselves, so even a three year old finishes a real candle.

View on Amazon See it in Rolled Beeswax Candle Basket →

Acrylic paint pens for rock painting

What it is: A set of quick-dry, waterproof acrylic paint markers that write on stone, wood, glass and ceramic.
Where we used it: Our stone painting and sorting basket — the creek-side afternoon where we painted pizza, a turtle, a campfire and a beehive.
Why I recommend it: Pens beat pots of paint outdoors: no water, no spills, they dry fast and the colours stay bright after rain. Even my four year old can control them.

View on Amazon See it in Stone Painting & Sorting →

Toys and play supplies

Open-ended pieces that keep coming back into new baskets instead of being played with once.

Road-patterned washi tape

What it is: Wide masking tape printed like a road, with lane markings.
Where we used it: Our car tracks and parking lot basket, taped straight onto the floor.
Why I recommend it: It peels off wood and tile without leaving marks, so a whole city can appear and disappear in one morning.

View on Amazon See it in Road Tape & Numberblocks Parking Basket →

Numberblocks character figures (1–10)

What it is: Small collectible figures of the Numberblocks characters, one through ten.
Where we used it: Parking each number in its matching numbered parking spot.
Why I recommend it: Number recognition happens by accident here, while my kids are busy parking and telling stories.

View on Amazon See it in Road Tape & Numberblocks Parking Basket →

Safari animals toy set

What it is: A set of realistic small safari animal figures.
Where we used it: Matching each animal to its printable silhouette card.
Why I recommend it: They match our printable cards, and they later became the buried treasure in our sand dig basket.

View on Amazon See it in Safari Animal Silhouette Cards →

LEGO DUPLO My First Colorful Creative Box (80 pieces)

What it is: A box of 80 chunky DUPLO bricks in bright colors, with a few special pieces.
Where we used it: Copying our printable Build It! brick cards, one card at a time.
Why I recommend it: Chunky enough for small hands, endlessly versatile — the same box becomes bowling pins, bath rafts, water chutes and dough stamps.

View on Amazon See it in Build It! Brick Cards Basket →

Play dough, 42 mini tubs

What it is: A bulk pack of tiny individual play dough tubs.
Where we used it: Party favor boxes at our back to school party.
Why I recommend it: One tub per child, no leftovers drying out, and a favor that gets used instead of thrown away.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Nature and outdoor kit

The small pieces of equipment that turn a walk or a garden morning into something my kids take seriously.

Bug viewer jar with magnifying lid

What it is: A small plastic jar with a magnifying lid.
Where we used it: Inspecting whoever moved into our bug hotel.
Why I recommend it: The magnifying lid means they look properly instead of poking, and every creature goes back safely.

View on Amazon See it in Bug Hotel Observation Basket →

Daily use

Clear window bird feeder

What it is: A see-through feeder that suctions onto a window pane.
Where we used it: Our kitchen window bird watching station.
Why I recommend it: Birds land an arm's length away while I make breakfast. Nothing else gets this close.

View on Amazon See it in Window Bird Watching Station →

Wooden bird feeder craft kit

What it is: A build-and-paint wooden feeder kit.
Where we used it: The pinecone bird feeder basket, hung beside the homemade ones.
Why I recommend it: Building it first is half the activity, and it survives a whole winter outdoors.

View on Amazon See it in Pinecone Bird Feeder Basket →

Frog rain gauge

What it is: A garden rain gauge with a frog on top.
Where we used it: Measuring every rainy morning in the puddle splash basket.
Why I recommend it: It gives a rainy day a job, and reading the numbers becomes real maths.

View on Amazon See it in Puddle Splash and Rain Basket →

Kids outdoor compass

What it is: A simple sturdy compass sized for small hands.
Where we used it: Setting up our sundial and tracking shadows through the day.
Why I recommend it: Once they can find north themselves, the shadow tracking makes sense to them.

View on Amazon See it in Sundial and Shadow Tracking Basket →

Plastic test tubes with rack

What it is: Unbreakable test tubes in a stand.
Where we used it: The mud kitchen potion lab.
Why I recommend it: A potion in a test tube feels like science. The same mud in a cup does not.

View on Amazon See it in Mud Kitchen Potion Lab →

Flower and leaf press for kids

What it is: A wooden screw press for flowers and leaves.
Where we used it: Pressing everything we collected for the leaf silhouette cards.
Why I recommend it: Pressed properly, our finds last for months instead of curling up by the next morning.

View on Amazon See it in Leaf Silhouette Match Cards Basket →

Air-dry modelling clay

What it is: Clay that hardens on its own, no oven needed.
Where we used it: Weighting and sealing our walnut shell boats.
Why I recommend it: No baking means the activity finishes when their attention does.

View on Amazon See it in Walnut Shell Boats Basket →

Bits that make the printables work

Cheap, sturdy pieces that pair with the free printables and get reused across a dozen different baskets.

Most reused

Blue painter's tape (4 rolls)

What it is: Low-tack blue tape that peels off cleanly.
Where we used it: Floor games, hopscotch and roads in the one roll of tape basket.
Why I recommend it: It holds all afternoon on wood and tile and comes up without a mark.

View on Amazon See it in One Roll of Painter's Tape Basket →

50 coloured wooden clothespins

What it is: Wooden pegs in bright colours.
Where we used it: Clipping colours onto the printable colour match cards.
Why I recommend it: Pinching a peg is real fine-motor work, and they end up in half our other baskets.

View on Amazon See it in Colour Match Peg Cards Basket →

70-piece counting and sorting bears

What it is: Chunky coloured bears in several sizes.
Where we used it: Sorting onto the shape hunt cards and counting games.
Why I recommend it: One set covers colour, size and counting for years.

View on Amazon See it in Shape Hunt Cards Basket →

Pom-poms and wooden tongs set

What it is: A tub of pom-poms with child-sized tongs.
Where we used it: The pom-pom sorting mats.
Why I recommend it: Tongs turn sorting into a proper hand-strength workout without anyone noticing.

View on Amazon See it in Pom-Pom Sorting Mats Basket →

Washable rainbow ink pad

What it is: A multi-colour stamp pad that washes off skin.
Where we used it: Fingerprint bug cards.
Why I recommend it: Washable matters here. One pad, ten colours of beetle.

View on Amazon See it in Fingerprint Bug Cards Basket →

Jumbo wax crayons

What it is: Thick chunky crayons that don't snap.
Where we used it: Texture rubbing cards, held flat on their side.
Why I recommend it: Fat crayons are the only ones that survive rubbing over bark and paving.

View on Amazon See it in Texture Rubbing Cards Basket →

Wooden sorting tinker tray

What it is: A compartmented wooden tray.
Where we used it: The acorn cap tinker tray and every collection since.
Why I recommend it: Compartments make a pile of nature finds look like a treasure worth arranging.

View on Amazon See it in Acorn Cap Tinker Tray →

Alphabet rubber stamp set

What it is: A full set of letter stamps.
Where we used it: Writing and decoding messages in the secret code basket.
Why I recommend it: Stamping letters is far more tempting than writing them, especially for a reluctant writer.

View on Amazon See it in Secret Code Basket →

Kids retractable tape measure

What it is: A short, light tape measure made for children.
Where we used it: The measure-it scavenger hunt.
Why I recommend it: Light enough to carry around the house all morning, and the numbers are big and clear.

View on Amazon See it in Measure It Scavenger Hunt Basket →

Coloured origami paper

What it is: Thin square paper in many colours.
Where we used it: Folding the darts and gliders in the paper airplane flight lab.
Why I recommend it: It creases crisply and every child gets their own colour, which ends the whose-plane-is-whose argument.

View on Amazon See it in Paper Airplane Flight Lab Basket →

Learning Resources geared student clock

What it is: A hands-on clock where the hands turn together correctly.
Where we used it: Alongside the printable clock wheel and time cards.
Why I recommend it: The geared hands teach why the hour hand creeps, which paper clocks can never show.

View on Amazon See it in Clock Wheel and Time Cards Basket →

Theater, music and storytelling

The props that get my kids performing instead of watching someone else perform.

Melissa & Doug farm hand puppets (set of 4)

What it is: Four soft farm animal hand puppets.
Where we used it: Acting out nursery rhymes behind a sofa-back stage.
Why I recommend it: A shy child will say through a puppet what they will never say as themselves.

View on Amazon See it in Nursery Rhyme Puppet Basket →

33-piece wooden percussion set

What it is: A boxed set of small wooden and metal instruments.
Where we used it: Our animal parade marching band.
Why I recommend it: Enough instruments that nobody has to share, and they actually sound good.

View on Amazon See it in Animal Parade Music Basket →

Surprise hit

Kids voice recorder

What it is: A simple handheld recorder with playback.
Where we used it: Recording our radio play and all its sound effects.
Why I recommend it: Hearing themselves back is the whole activity. They re-record for an hour to get it right.

View on Amazon See it in Radio Play Sound Effects Basket →

Kids karaoke microphone

What it is: A wireless mic with a built-in speaker.
Where we used it: The newsroom reporter basket, interviewing everyone in the house.
Why I recommend it: Holding a real microphone makes a six-year-old speak in full, clear sentences.

View on Amazon See it in Newsroom Reporter Basket →

Storymatic Kids storytelling cards

What it is: A box of character and situation prompt cards.
Where we used it: Roll-a-story dice mornings and the improv prompt jar.
Why I recommend it: It removes the blank-page panic. Two cards and they are already telling a story.

View on Amazon See it in Roll-a-Story Dice Basket →

Beginner magic set for kids

What it is: A starter set of classic close-up tricks.
Where we used it: The beginner magic show basket, performed to the whole family.
Why I recommend it: Practising a trick until it works is the most patient I have ever seen my son be.

View on Amazon See it in Beginner Magic Show Basket →

Party supplies that were worth it

Everything here was bought for a real birthday in our house. These are the pieces I would buy again.

UNGLINGA kids spy and detective kit

What it is: A spy kit with fingerprint powder, invisible ink and a magnifier.
Where we used it: The detective mystery party, dusting for prints on the crime scene.
Why I recommend it: It gave the whole party its structure, and it kept being played with long after.

View on Amazon See it in Detective Mystery Party →

Guest favorite

Smoke bubble machine

What it is: A bubble machine that fills each bubble with harmless fog, so it bursts in a little puff of smoke.
Where we used it: The circus, pirate, superhero, and fairies & knights parties.
Why I recommend it: It is the single most magical thing we own. Every party stops for it, and it works outdoors too.

View on Amazon See it in Circus Party →

Circus tablecloth

What it is: A red and white striped tablecloth in classic big-top colors.
Where we used it: The main food table at our circus party.
Why I recommend it: One cheap tablecloth did more for the theme than any other decoration.

View on Amazon See it in Circus Party →

Striped foil balloons

What it is: Red and white striped foil balloons.
Where we used it: The entrance arch and photo corner of the circus party.
Why I recommend it: Foil holds its shape for days, so I could decorate the night before and still sleep.

View on Amazon See it in Circus Party →

Glass drink dispenser with spigot

What it is: A large glass dispenser with a tap.
Where we used it: The slush and lemonade station at the circus party.
Why I recommend it: Kids serve themselves, which means no one is asking me for a drink every three minutes.

View on Amazon See it in Circus Party →

Tablecloth for the face painting table

What it is: A wipeable plastic tablecloth.
Where we used it: Under the face painting station.
Why I recommend it: Face paint wipes straight off it. Worth it for that alone.

View on Amazon See it in Circus Party →

Gable favor boxes

What it is: Sturdy cardboard boxes with a handle on top.
Where we used it: Take-home favors at the circus party.
Why I recommend it: They stand up on the table as decoration before they leave as gifts.

View on Amazon See it in Circus Party →

School bus shaped favor boxes

What it is: Small yellow boxes shaped like a school bus.
Where we used it: Back to school party favors, filled with play dough and a mini bus.
Why I recommend it: They doubled as place cards and centerpiece pieces on the table.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Small plastic toy school buses

What it is: A pack of little yellow toy buses.
Where we used it: One tucked into each favor box.
Why I recommend it: Tiny, cheap, and my kids still drive them around months later.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Back to school balloons

What it is: A themed balloon set with pencils, books, and a school bus.
Where we used it: The chairs and the entrance of the back to school party.
Why I recommend it: It set the whole scene in ten minutes, before the kids came down for breakfast.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Mini chalkboard signs

What it is: Small standing chalkboard signs with chalk markers.
Where we used it: Labelling every dish on the food table.
Why I recommend it: Reusable for every party since, and they make a simple snack table look planned.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Back to school paper plates

What it is: Themed disposable plates.
Where we used it: The party food table.
Why I recommend it: Sturdy enough to hold real food, which is not true of every themed plate.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

School bus shaped paper platters

What it is: Long serving trays shaped like a school bus.
Where we used it: Sandwiches and fruit at the back to school party.
Why I recommend it: Instant centerpiece with zero styling effort.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Keepsake

Stainless steel time capsule tube

What it is: A sealed metal tube made for burying letters.
Where we used it: Our end-of-party time capsule with the kids' notes and drawings.
Why I recommend it: It actually seals, so we can bury it in the garden and open it in a few years.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Ann Clark bear sandwich cutter

What it is: A 3.5 inch bear-shaped steel cutter for sandwiches, cheese and cookies.
Where we used it: Bear sandwiches, cheese slices and melon on the teddy bear picnic table.
Why I recommend it: One press turns ordinary lunch into picnic bear food - it does more for the table than any decoration.

View on Amazon See it in Teddy Bear Picnic Party →

Star sandwich cutter

What it is: A large star-shaped sandwich cutter.
Where we used it: Star sandwiches on the party table.
Why I recommend it: A plain sandwich becomes party food in one press.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Alphabet cookie cutters

What it is: A full set of letter-shaped cutters.
Where we used it: Cookies and cheese slices spelling each child's name.
Why I recommend it: We use them for play dough and clay far more often than for baking.

View on Amazon See it in Back to School Party →

Vintage & grown-up party pieces

From our vintage sweet sixteen. Beautiful things that were easy to store and reuse afterwards.

Rhinestone tiara

What it is: A delicate sparkling tiara.
Where we used it: The birthday girl wore it all evening, and it lived in the photo corner between shots.
Why I recommend it: It photographs beautifully and does not look cheap in pictures.

View on Amazon See it in Vintage Sweet Sixteen →

Taper candles

What it is: Tall thin dinner candles.
Where we used it: Down the length of the dessert table.
Why I recommend it: Nothing else creates that warm vintage glow for so little money.

View on Amazon See it in Vintage Sweet Sixteen →

2 gallon glass storage jar

What it is: A very large glass jar with a lid.
Where we used it: The guess-how-many candy jar.
Why I recommend it: It went straight into the kitchen afterwards for flour and pasta.

View on Amazon See it in Vintage Sweet Sixteen →

1.5 gallon glass storage jars

What it is: A pair of slightly smaller glass jars.
Where we used it: Sweets and cookies on the dessert table.
Why I recommend it: Height and layers are what make a dessert table look styled.

View on Amazon See it in Vintage Sweet Sixteen →

Vintage style picture frames

What it is: Ornate gold-toned frames in mixed sizes.
Where we used it: The photo wall of childhood pictures.
Why I recommend it: Mixed sizes in one finish look collected rather than bought.

View on Amazon See it in Vintage Sweet Sixteen →

Guest favorite

Instant camera

What it is: An instant print camera.
Where we used it: Guests photographed each other and pinned the prints to the guest book.
Why I recommend it: It gave every guest something to do, and us a wall of real photos by the end of the night.

View on Amazon See it in Vintage Sweet Sixteen →

Antique key bottle openers

What it is: Bottle openers shaped like old keys.
Where we used it: Favors and table scatter.
Why I recommend it: They look like part of the decor until people take one home.

View on Amazon See it in Vintage Sweet Sixteen →

Scented candles in tins

What it is: Small scented candles in metal tins.
Where we used it: The favor table.
Why I recommend it: A favor that adults genuinely use, and it travels home without breaking.

View on Amazon See it in Vintage Sweet Sixteen →

Antique style book for guest messages

What it is: A hardcover book with an aged, vintage look.
Where we used it: Guests wrote their notes straight onto its pages.
Why I recommend it: It sits on a shelf afterwards instead of in a drawer, so the messages get reread.

View on Amazon See it in Vintage Sweet Sixteen →

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