DIY Shoots and Tunnels Car Garage

This project really became a favorite in my household.   Not only was this 'shoots and tunnels car garage' (as we call it) fun to make but it has also logged many hours in our household as favorite toy.  It is super easy to make,  completely made of recycled materials, and is a really sturdy toy that has really proven its durability.  Eli, my two year old, is so into cars right now. Really, anything with wheels that moves.  He has had more fun with this homemade contraption than with any other new toy he has acquired.  I feel good knowing that he can still appreciate the simple (and cheap) things in life. :)

Materials:

• Soda 24 pack cardboard box
• 3-5 paper towel/toilet paper rolls
• scotch tape
• scissors
• paint
• Hot glue gun (optional)
• Stickers (optional)

   Start by deciding where you want your 'shoots and tunnels' to end up. Arrange them so the cars will end up in different places once out of the tunnels.  Think outside (or inside) of the box :) I cut two holes in our soda box so one tunnel could go through the box... I really scored some mommy points for this idea.

  Tape or hot glue the shoots and tunnels into place. I put tape around the outside of some of the rolls and some on each opening.

   Once you have all the shoots and tunnels you want, paint the entire thing with any color paint. We just used one color but you could also paint a scene, highway, etc. all over it if you child is a bit older and able to paint 'things.'

   We painted before nap time so it could dry for a few hours, then we added foam transportation themed stickers all over it....done! Our 'shoots and tunnels car garage' as Eli promptly called it was ready for action! 

   Eli still plays with this daily and we made it over a two weeks ago...it has also held up and so far (knock on wood) and I have not had to patch it up anywhere!

  Enjoy this fun, simple project and take the time to explain to your kids the importance of recycling and using our imagination! 
 

Scrap Paper Project!

Scrap paper. Should I save it? Toss it? No! Don't throw it away, save it for goodness sake! If you are into crafts with your kid at all, you know what I am talking about. Those little pieces of construction paper left over after you practice cutting, gluing, etc. that really start to get on your nerves. I started doing this little project with my son to utilize all those extra scraps. Just save all your left-overs in a ziploc bag and use then when you have enough for this fun art project. When they are gone...start saving again!

 

Materials:

• Scrap paper (any old kind will do!)
•  Glue Stick
• Washable Markers

   Start by drawing a shape of an animal, letter, number, anything you can think of! I used an octopus because this is what my son requested. We did a car after that.  
   Tare up all your scraps that you have saved in your little ziploc baggie.  Make the pieces small enough so little hands can grab them and glue them on, you also want them to fit throughout the entire shape. You could even tare up longer pieces for legs, arms, etc.  Now let your child glue the little pieces of scrap onto their 'octopus.'  This project is great for hand eye coordination and can really help them with patience.
   Try to encourage them to glue 'inside the lines' and talk to them about why they are putting the pieces where they are. "Are you gluing the eyes? Good Job! Where is that green piece going? Oh cool...the tentacles!" Kids are more likely to get into something if they see that you are enjoying it, too. Enjoy this time when they will sit down and communicate with you because I am told that will not last long :)

  Do they want more?!?! Give it to them! Use your scraps from this project to add buttons to your Recycled Race Car, or add little feet to your Egg Carton Caterpillar! These are just a few of many ideas! Happy crafting, everyone! :)

Magnetic Cookie Sheet

   Any parent can benefit from this trick! Have you ever found yourself gripping the stearing wheel just a little too tight when your kids ask 'are we there yet' for the fiftieth time? I'm guilty of it on several occassions, but really, can we blame them? I get bored, too! This  project will give them a new, exciting activity to play with in the car. And who knows...maybe it will buy you 30 more minutes of silent riding :)

Materials: 

• Old cookie sheet
• Several matchbox cars (If you have them, use the rejects that are missing wheels. )
• Magnetic strips
• Hot glue gun (and glue sticks.)
• One car-crazy child

   As I have said before, my son LOVES car.  Any project I can think of that will include his obsession is fine with him. This activity not only provides entertainment in the car but it also helps to improve his hand eye coordination.  
   First cut the magnetic strip into 1/2" sections and reserve two for each car. Peel the sticky backing off of the magnet strip and squirt a pea size amount of hot glue onto the sticky part of the magnet. 
   Attach the magnet pieces of magnet onto the flattest part of the underside of the car. In my case, it was most flat in between both sets of wheels. If it works better on a particular car to use a bigger strip in the middle, do so. Let your magnetized cars dry for at least 15 minutes to ensure the magnet won't come off...Be careful if you are using this activity for small kids who are still interested in 'eating' toys.
   Now you are ready to attach the cars to the cookie sheet! Your kids will love to play with their new toy...even with all the new colorful plastic toys out there, my son still prefers a good home-made invention any day :) I knew he was mine!
   You could also use your coffee filter butterflies on the cookie sheet as well! Think outside the box to come up with new 'magnet' ideas....glue magnet strips to pipe cleaners to create 'roads,' or use shells you found at the beach as a different shape for them to explore! The options are endless! Go try out your new invention with a nice, long car ride!

 *To make things even easier, check out this magnetic tape! (I still suggest using hot glue to adhere to toys.)