As Manon and Gilles will tell you, all French children love to play with simple things like yarn and rolling pins. They like Sophie too, but are a bit irritated that America has stolen her away in order to solve problems like ADD. Hey, I have an idea. Give your kid a box of buttons and turn off Duck Dynasty.

My children love marbles, which is impressive and terrifying. Their favorite game, Chipmunk, involves shoving as many marbles into their mouth as they can and then pretending to choke in order to force me to do the Heimlich. It’s hilarious. To wage revenge, I came up with a simple, and I mean simple, craft project that will turn these terrifying toys into bundles of beauty.

First, have your child run around and gather as many stray marbles as they can. This usually takes a couple of hours and gives you enough time to have a glass of wine and exfoliate. Sort them by color and get out the glue gun, Martha. You can make the nests yourself, but they’re not expensive and do you really want to gather twigs and grass for three days? I buy my nests here, but any craft supply store will carry them. Glue three inside each one, et voila. Finished.

These make adorable place card settings. They also look lovely scattered on a mantle with some tulips and forsythia. You could string floral wire through the bottom and hang them from your chandelier at Easter brunch. Best of all, you’ve prevented your child from death-by-marbles. You’re welcome, loves.