Recycle Your Plastic Laundry Detergent Bottles Into Cool Beach Buckets And Scoops.
Posted Jun 26, 08 -Filed Under "Green" Living ideas, Children's Activities, Children's Crafts, Crafts, reuse plastic bottles | 2 Comments
Thinking about buying a bucket and shovel for the kids before your summer vacation to the beach? Why not make your own and save money while reducing waste. MYO bucket is a quick summer project.
Treasure collecting bucket with shoulder strap.
Treasure hunt.
Future marine biologists can use their buckets to study sea critters. Whether observing a jellyfish’s movements or learning how a crab walks, these recycled plastic buckets are perfect.
These scoops are great for making sandcastles. No need for a shovel.
Fun in the sun.
How-to:
- Do a little dumpster diving (look through your own or a friends recycle bin). Search for brightly colored plastic bottles of different sizes.
- Cut off the top of the bottle to make a bucket or the bottom to make a scoop. A box cutter works well but can be dangerous (adult use only). In most cases I found that scissors worked just as well.
- Find a piece of thin rope. I salvaged a piece of rope from an old tent that was destined for the dump.
- Make a hole (on the side opposite the handle) with a nail and thread the rope through it. Next use the bowline knot to secure it. Make another loop with the bowline knot attached to the existing handle of the bottle. Don’t know how to make a bowline knot? Fun In The Making shows you how. How-to: Bowline knot.
- Have a wonderful summer exploring at the beach!
Noteworthy Knot Knowledge: How to Tie a Bowline Knot
Posted Jun 25, 08 -Filed Under Children's Crafts, Crafts | Leave a Comment
The bowline knot is extremely useful in many craft projects. Using the image of a rabbit will help you and your kids (if you have any) to tie this knot. It is not too hard to master (an eight-year-old is tying the knot in the pictures above). The advantage of the bowline is that it forms a loop that will not pull out no matter how hard you pull. Another nice thing about this knot is that it is easy to undo.
Children’s Play-kitchen Seasonings: Ideas For Spicing Up Imaginative Play
Posted Jun 3, 08 -Filed Under Children's Activities | Leave a Comment
How to:
Second-hand salt and pepper shakers come in a wide variety of styles. When my children were small, they played with a cute set of lemon and lime salt and pepper shakers that we found at a yard sale. They enjoyed using them when pretending to picnic. See what you can find. Be sure to place a piece of paper at the top to prevent the contents from really coming out. In addition, glue the covers on them. Now children can act it out without the mess.
Donate a few out of date spices to the play kitchen’s pantry. This cinnamon shaker smells so good that kids will want to “make” cinnamon toast. You will need to put a piece of scrap white paper under the plastic piece that the cinnamon would normally sprinkle out of and glue in place.
Empty spice jars can be filled with a variety of items such as rice, popcorn, or tiny pasta… Just choose something that will not fit through the little holes at the top when your son or daughter is cooking up a pot of soup. Also, choose something that makes a nice sound when shaking; it’s just more fun that way. These glass jars have great sound but use your own judgment as far as safety.
Imaginary sprinkles can simply be made by adding colorful beads to an old spice holder. What kid doesn’t like sprinkles?
*Be aware that beads and other small objects can be a choking hazard. This project is meant for children who are old enough for imaginary play.