I tell you what, the Bunnings Mums Facebook group NEVER cease to amaze me with what they’re doing in their own homes. Take this busy board for instance… it’s a toddler win for this clever mum!
Toddlers are inquisitive little creatures, ARE THEY NOT? You can see their minds working overtime as they shove that pen into the DVD player, tug the cat’s collar bell or comb your pot plant with car keys. The perfect way to channel all of that brain-building, curious activity is with a dedicated busy board.
One spectacular mum, Molly, made with her own two hands, the most epic busy board that I have ever seen. The perfect gift for her baby boy’s first birthday.
Mum creates a busy board to end all busy boards
Feeling inspired by a couple of previous DIY projects for family, Molly whirred into action to create a truly special gift for her son, Henry, in time for his upcoming first birthday.
“One day it just hit me, that that’s what I was going to do. I started sketching and planning 12 weeks out from his birthday because I know I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I wanted to leave room for mistakes and mind changes. I only had one day a week that I could work on it. I did a little Pinterest search to screenshot some ideas so I didn’t forget anything while I was in Bunnings!”
I asked Molly how many trips to Bunnings a project like this takes. “Around five” was the answer. Which is a pretty good strike rate, considering how easy it is to get distracted in the iconic big green shed.
“I changed my mind many times. I got halfway through a cube/ box version and decided against it because it was too heavy, too big, and I just wasn’t excited about it anymore.”
That ol’ mid-way through a project and change of mind strikes. I’m sure we can ALL relate.
So, with her mind made up, it was time to crack on with the build process!
Executing the DIY
Now let’s just take a minute to appreciate that Molly literally created this busy board on her kitchen bench. I repeat, HER KITCHEN BENCH.
With a new piece of a timber board in hand, Molly tells us:
- “I cut the hole out of the new board with a jigsaw, hand-filed it to remove saw marks and get the hole straight.”
- “I cut some timber up for the doors, hand-sanded them and painted them. After I collected all of the things to complete it I laid it out and decided where I was going to put what!”
- “I did in the process get gifted a benchtop sander. So I pulled the doors off, tidied them up and repainted them to make them line up with the latches better.”
Bravo Molly, and what awesome things you found to attach to your busy board! There’s locks, peek-a-boo doors, a xylophone, light switches and bells, oh my!
When asked about the price of such a mammoth project, Molly says the project cost her around $130. The paint was a $5 sample pot from Bunnings and the bell chains were from a dismantled pet shop toy. Other bits and bobs were picked up along the way or from around the house. Easily done!
Want to make your own busy board?
Molly’s top tips for making your very own busy board are:
- DO YOUR RESEARCH – YouTube and Pinterest have plenty of ideas!
- PLAN and allow time for mistakes and change of mind.
- ENJOY the process, it’s SO MUCH FUN to create something you know your children will love.
A HUGE hit!
Not only does Henry CLEARLY love his new busy board, so too did hundreds of Bunnings Mums on Facebook – the post lit up the Bunnings Mums Australia group with over two thousand reactions and comments in a couple of days. AMAZING!
