I have a toddler that is a mover and a goer, an escape artist, a wiggle-monster, (as his brothers like to call him), which is all good and dandy when we are playing outside. But at church, or at the doctors, or during times that require quiet and stillness, having a child that won’t sit still and be quiet for that matter, can be problematic.
So, after weeks of bribing him with toys and food, and after endless head-butts and patronizing glares from others across the pews, I decided to make my son a quiet book to help us get through our Sunday Services.
When I first started this project, I literally copied pages straight off of Pinterest from fellow bloggers like myself (Thanks all!) But, once I got into it, I decided to venture out and try designing a few pages on my own; so, I made a camping page, a snowboarding page, and a rock climbing page (my personal favorite).
I was pretty proud of how they turned out, so I thought that I would share them with you so that you all can enjoy! But before I do, here are a few tips about creating a quiet book that I learned along the way:
- It takes a LOT of time – No surprise here, right? I am sure that you have read this tip 100 times from other bloggers with similar experiences. But seriously, it takes A LOT of time. Like, as in every waking moment from sun-up to sun-down for a month straight. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
- You pay for what you get- at least when it comes to felt. Because of where I live, my choices in felt are very limited. Okay, let’s be honest, I didn’t have a choice since there is only one store that carries it here. So, while visiting my mother, I took the opportunity to pick up some better quality material. I found that using a higher-end felt made a WORLD of difference! It sewed together much nicer, is much more durable, and looks 10 times better.
- Adhesive backed felt is The BOMB. No, literally. It rocks. Cut it, stick it and sew it. It’s that easy. It saved me a lot of time and effort and because I could draw my designs on the paper backing and didn’t have to pin it, which also saved my sanity.
- Last tip- Don’t get discouraged. Sometimes the pages don’t turn out as well as you had hoped. But don’t worry your little guy or gal will love it anyways.
So, as promised, here are my patterns. Disclosure: These patterns are for personal use only. Please do not use these patterns to sell, distribute or to make a profit in any way. All that we ask in return is that you give credit to Nature for Kids, and that you visit the site often!
Thanks, and cheers!
-Amanda
** Please note that I did not include a pattern for the rock wall on the climbing page. This is because my initial attempt did not work (thanks to the cheap felt that I used). My apologies.
Amanda Steele
Amanda is an energetic mother of three rowdy boys, owner of a dog named Chaco, and is the wife of a wannabe fisherman named Jake. She spends her mornings running the foothills by her home (for fun) and the rest of the day chasing around her kids (also, for fun). She's had a plethora of job titles with some of her favorites being: Truck Loader, Ski Lift Supervisor, Fire Fighter, and Physical Education Teacher. But her all-time favorite occupation has been being a mom.
Latest posts by Amanda Steele (see all)
- Outdoor Inspired Quiet Book + Free Patterns - February 12, 2016
- Dread Snow Glove Duty No Longer - November 17, 2015
- Fish Eyes and Optic Nerve Sunglasses Review + Giveaway - October 1, 2015
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Claudia says
Hi Amanda,
I really like the climber. I once made something similar for my teddy book, but yours is great!
Best wishes Claudia
http://www.teenytinymom.com/2015/07/17/teddy-the-climber/
Julie Cannata says
Love the so, so original ideas!!
Tove says
Hello, I truly love these sports activity patterns.
With your permission, I would like to include them in one of a series of activity quilts I’m making as a volunteer job for mother’s nursing home.
The activity quilts are for mostly seniors at various stages of dementia who needs quiet activities to sit with when there are no other activities planned at the home.
I will have to make minor changes, such as the climber: instead of using the snaps, I would use little Velcro dots or embedded magnets.
Shawna says
just sent you an email 🙂
Shawna says
Thanks Julie!
Shawna says
Oh I love it Claudia!
Charlene Niehls says
What a great idea! My 30 year old daughter came home to visit when her brother and his wife had a baby, which I made 2 felt picture books for, she asked where her book was,I replied you didn’t just have a baby, she said HER book. So I am making one for her, she loves to bike, camp, rock climb, run. Maybe some day she will have a little one to give it to! Thank you for the ideas!
Cindie says
THANK YOU AMANDA! I really appreciate all of your work on this quiet book of the outdoors. My friend just became a great-grand-mother and I am making a busy book for her new great-grand son. I love your ideas and I will be copying some of them for her -baby. The images are wonderful and I know Zachery will enjoy many hours of fun.