Peek-a-Boo Treasure Bag Tutorial

Another of the sensory tools that we use on a regular basis at home and when we are travelling are Peek-a-Boo Treasure bags.

Essentially a Peek-a-Boo Treasure bag is a fabric bag with a clear vinyl window and the bag is filled with an assortment of small treasures to find. Playing with the bag is great distraction when O or L are in overload or when they just need to be distracted from what is happening around them.

Playing with a Peek-a-Boo Treasure bag is also great for fine motor control and hand eye co-ordination as the child has to use their fingers to manipulate the bag to find all the treasures in the bag.

Peek-a-Boo Treasure bags are also great activities for children to do when it is quiet time. I have made a few for my charges at work for rest time and the children love to play with them.

Quite a number of people have asked me how to make these magical bags so I thought that it was about time that I published another tutorial. So here goes ....

You will need:

- A small rectangle or square of strong clear plastic vinyl. I generally use a rectangle that is approximately 20cm by 18cm in size. You are able to purchase the clear vinyl from Spotlight by the metre.

- Fabric for the front and back of the Peek-a-Boo Bag. I generally use two different patterned fabrics - one for the front and one for the back, just as a contrast.

- An assortment of small toys, large over sized buttons, poly beads and other objects to put into the bag. I use small plastic animals, small toy cars, buttons, small dinosaurs and anything else that I think children would like to look for in the bag. The poly beads are great to fill up the bag so that the child has to push the toys through the beads to find them.

What to do:

Step 1: Cut four rectangles of the fabric that you are using for the front of your treasure bag. My rectangles overhang at each end of the clear vinyl rectangle by approximately 5cm.

Step 2: Pin two of the fabric rectangles to the two long edges of the clear vinyl. Once pinned, first straight stitch and then zig zag stitch the two long edges approximately 1cm in. As the vinyl/fabric seam is going to be getting a lot of manipulating, these seams need to be strong.

Step 3: Pin back the two edges that you have just attached. This keeps them out of the way when you do the two side edges but also keeps them in place to make the window of the bag.

Step 4: Pin the other two fabric rectangles on the two remaining sides of the clear vinyl. Then as per Step 2, straight stitch and then zig zag these two edges to ensure that the seams are strong.

Step 5: Pin the two short edges back as per Step 3. In effect you will now have a window of vinyl surrounded by four fabric panels.

Step 6: This step is optional. I do this step to add extra strength to the vinyl/fabric seam. I simply straight stitch all around the edge of the vinyl window.

Step 7: Cut a rectangle of your backing fabric that is larger than your vinyl window. Ideally you want the backing fabric to be at least two or three centimetres wider than your vinyl window. Pin the fabrics right side to right side together.

Step 8: Straight stitch and then zig zag stitch all edges, leaving an opening of approximately 10cm on one edge so that you are able to turn the pocket through. Once sewn, trim the edges and corners and then turn through.

Step 9: Before adding the assortment of small toys and other bits and pieces, I pin around the edge of the vinyl window. This serves two purposes - the pins keep all the treasures away from the edge of the bag, which in turn makes it easier to sew around the edge of the bag. Once pinned, add the treasure to the bag and then pin the bag closed along the opening.

Step 10: Use a straight stitch to sew around the entire edge of the Peek-a-Boo bag, ensuring that you close the opening securely. Once I have sewn the edge of the bag, I sew an extra row approximately 1cm in from the edge to add extra strength to the seams of the bag. Depending on what you chose to put in the bag, there may be small parts. The extra seam just adds a little extra strength to the bag.

And voila, you have your very own Peek-a-Boo Treasure Bag.

Once you have made one Peek-a-Boo bag, the possibilities of what you can put into the bags are endless. I have made an alphabet bag, complete with a card listing what can be found in the bag. I've made an insect bag and a dinosaur bag. Half the fun is finding treasure to go into the bags!