Boredom Busting With Plastic Bottle Toys

About the same time as my quest for finding ways to reuse bottles I was also looking for activities I could do with my toddler. I found in a blog the "game" of dropping clothes pins into a plastic bottle. We tried it and declared the game a success!

I soon realized that I already knew of several activities that require the reuse of plastic bottles. I have done these activities with various kids before, and I hope you enjoy the "games" as much as they did. Maybe you will be inspired to make a clothes pin drop for your younger sister (and impress your parents with your genius), or show your brother how to make your own volcano (with proper adult supervision of course!) Who knows - maybe you will be inspired to come up with your own way of reusing a plastic bottle or create another recycling craft to make your own Earth Day activity!

Materials:

16 - 20 oz plastic bottle
2 clothes pins (or craft sticks, or as you can see, crayons)

1. Make sure you have the child's attention. Moving slowly and carefully, drop the clothes pin through the mouth of the bottle. Repeat.


2. To remove clothes pins, turn bottle upside and shake gently until they fall out.


3. Repeat actions until child indicates they want to try. It won't be long before they are able to shake out the items on their own.


Tip:




• More is not better: If you give your child too many pins to drop into the bottle they will find it difficult to remove them. If the activity is too difficult, they will get frustrated and give up!


If you are feeling amibitious:




• (You will need adult help with this) Take a two-liter bottle and cut a "window" in the side. Tape edges (preferably with clear packing tape for visual reasons) to prevent cuts. When the pin is dropped, the child merely reaches in through the window to retrieve pin as needed.

Materials:

Plastic bottle, any size (smaller is easier for younger children to manage)
Water
Food coloring
Vegetable oil
Duct tape
Optional: glitter

1. Fill bottle 2/3 full of water.


2. Add food coloring to water until desired color is reached. Add glitter if using.


3. Slowly add vegetable oil to bottle. Do not fill bottle entirely - contents need some space to move!


4. Tighten lid. Secure lid with duct tape. (Omit duct tape if using with older children or you are feeling brave).


5. Slowly move bottle in different directions - watch the shapes made as the oil moves past the water.

Materials:

Plastic bottle, any size (smaller is better for younger children)
Water
Duct Tape
Optional: food coloring, glitter, sand

1. Fill water bottle 2/3 full with water. Add any of the optional materials at this time.


2. Tightly screw on cap, secure lid with duct tape (omit tape if you are feeling brave about your ability to NOT spill).


3. Turn the bottle upside down, holding the lid firmly in your hand. Make small but quick circular movements with your wrist. The faster you go, the better your "tornado" will look.


4. Experiment with different ways to twist, spin and move the bottle to create a "tornado" action inside the bottle.


If you are feeling ambitious:




• Make different versions of the tornado bottle - some with colored water, some plain, some with sand and some with glitter. How about one with everything? Then compare your bottles to see which one produces the best looking tornado!

We practice moving carefully in our classroom. Instead of placing a book on a child's head (which is hard on the books) we use a bottle on a tray. It is very difficult to pick up a tray and carry it without the bottle tipping over, especially when it is empty. Putting a tiny amount of water in the bottle makes it easier for younger children to do this activity, you can gradually decrease the amount as the child gets better at it!

Materials:

12 - 20 oz clear plastic bottle
funnel
clear soda pop
raisins

1. Place funnel in bottle top


2. Slowly pour in your clear soda pop into the bottle until bottle is 2/3 full.


3. Remove funnel and drop in a few raisins, one at a time.


4. Wait and watch!