7 Junked Items I Let My Kids Play With: Old Cell Phones, Laptops and More

I am a junkie. I cannot bear to throw most things away, always thinking there would be some use for it later on. After I had kids, the habit grew worse. I would keep things from egg cartons to McDonald's plastic drinking straws. I have a shelf full of different sized kids' plastic cups from Olive Garden, Applebees, Wingers, Red Lobster, Outback and so on. All these are used for craft activities and games with the kids.

There are 7 things that would have been discarded, but my sons - a toddler and a preschooler- love to play with them. These 7 items could occupy them for hours on end and I have been very grateful for their existence.

Old cell phone

Everyone knows how much kids love to mimic adults talking on the phone. That explains the countless toy versions lining toy store shelves everywhere. However, as the toddler grows older, he soon learns that the toy does not feel and sound as good as the real one. So he still reaches for the daddy's cell phone, only to be scolded, because daddy's cell phone also contains very important information.

A lot of people discard cell phones nowadays. Sometimes a new offer comes up and you decide to upgrade, or there is a slight problem with the phone, but it can still play some music and the screen still lights up. That would be best for the kids. They like to punch in numbers and hear the ringing tones. They can even play the simple games in it. The SIM card would have been removed, so there is no danger of them making actual calls out.

This plaything can occupy my kids on long road trips too. We can also pretend to call each other, which improves the kids' communication and language skills. They can also pretend to be people from different occupations, sometimes a doctor, lawyer, or salesman.

Old or faulty laptop

This is another fascinating thing for kids. They find it amazing that their parents would like to sit in front of it for hours. It makes sounds, lights up and can be manipulated.

We have an old Apple that had some keys fall out, a faulty touch pad, and an almost-dead battery. My husband bought a new one, and we decided to let the kids have the old one. They can do word processing and learn the alphabet (for the younger one) and how to type and write (for the older one). They can play simple games, watch their favorite videos on it and play pretend. They love how mobile it is too, and they'll bring it around the house as they engage in role play.

Old digital camera

There are many disposable cameras on sale for kids, but they still cost money to purchase and then have the film developed. My kids are not old enough to take good pictures yet, so the best thing for them to play around and practise would be a digital camera.

Our old one had a flickering LCD, and all the images were tinged purple, so we when we finally bought a new one, we gave the old one to the kids.

For the older boy, I would leave a 8MB memory card inside, so he can take pictures, download it into his own laptop and view them. That way, it provides a way for him to take pictures, review them and improve on his photography skills.

For the younger one, he just wants to point it at simply anything and everything and click. I remove the memory card so he can still take his pictures, and the LCD screen will let him review it for a couple of seconds, but it does not store the images.

The battery will run flat pretty soon, because they are at it continuously but I can always charge it again. It has become an educational and handy gadget that we would have otherwise thrown away.

All the electronic devices can be taken apart by the kids and reassembled for fun when they are older too.

Boxes and cartons

Big cardboard boxes like those holding strollers and refrigerators are great for making clubhouses, choo-choo trains and boats. They can be collected at most recycling places or department stores.

Egg cartons can be used for mixing paints and holding watercolors, or in playing games that involve moving beans from holder to holder.

Milk jugs can be used as megaphones, watering cans and bath toys (in the tub for scooping and pouring water).

Bubble wrap

Those packing bubble sheets are not just fun to pop, they can be used to make beautiful patterns in art too. Kids can paint the bubbles in different colors and then place a sheet of paper on top. The transfer results in a print with multi-colored circles. They can play around with different sized bubbles too.

Expired flour

I like to buy things in bulk but sometimes I cannot finish using them by the expiry date. I often have batches of flour that should be thrown away.

Kids can mix flour and other cooking ingredients together in a recycled plastic container (those that hold mushrooms, for example), add water and just make a mess. They can also make playdough out of that (many recipes on the Internet), with my help.

My husband will do this last activity with them, which they love to watch. He will set up a fire in the backyard, either on a piece of wood or a large candle. Then he will throw flour across the fire. The flour particles will make the fire burn much bigger all of a sudden. It is very fun for the kids because it looks like a dragon has just spat fire within their backyard.

Glass jars

Jam, peanut butter, pickle glass jars are a great resource as well.

I use some of them as a coin bank, modelling it after the Money Savvy Pig (bestseller in helping kids save money). Bundle 4 jars together, and label them "Save", "Donate", "Invest" and "Spend" respectively. For the covers, replace them with cardboard or thick felt with a slot cut in the middle for the coins. I like it because it is transparent and the kids can see exactly how much they have saved.

I use some of the larger ones as a see-through fish tank or planter. I grow out old potatoes, onions or garlics and place them in the jars, so the kids can see the roots and shoots clearly.

Smaller ones can be used for sand-art, gel-art and pebble-art. We also put beans of different sizes and rice grains in them, to make percussion instruments. Identical jars may be collected together, and if you have 5 or more, fill them up with water to different levels, and you have a multi-tone instrument with which you can play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

These 7 are my kids' favorite recycled toys. There are many more, which I hope to find out, and put more of my junk to use!