Ideas for visiting a friend without toys

We are going to visit a single friend this weekend for the first time. He is a recent college graduate and has only been living in his own apartment for 2 months. He is very excited about our visit, but has shared the concern that he "has no toys."

So here are some ideas for visiting houses that do not routinely have children in them.

• Childproofing...
• Duct tape works wonders - it can cover outlets, and tape things shut
• Rubber bands (or a shoe string) will tie a media cabinet or kitchen cabinet closed
• I have no problem with asking a host or moving an item if I feal it is not safe for my children. The first items that come to mind are - scissors, keys, glass breakables and kitchen knives.
  
  
• Things to do when visiting....
  
• We went to a local thrift store and purchased a bag of toys - they are a stacking toy for toddlers kind of like Duplos, but not. Project 1, of course, was to wash and sanatize the toys. The will go with us on our visit, and be part of the housewarming gift. Then our friend will have something to do the next time we visit, and when other youngsters come over.
• Plastic containers can be great toys - they stack, dump, pour, lids need to be matched. Children can stir or pretend to bake a cake - and a quick trip through the dishwasher is all it takes to clean them up for regular food storage.
• Books - we went through our book collection to find about 6-8 books of which we have duplicate titles and topics...these to will stay at our friends house
• We are taking some Matchbox cars - these will come home with us - but they will provide hours of fun exploration
• We are taking a couple of favorite DVD's
• I have packed a shape sorter - this is from the toys the boys have not seen in a while closet.
• Hopefully the weather will permit play outside or visiting a nearby park.

I'm sure we will come up with a few more ideas on our trip - I'll let you know if there are some fun ones next week!