How to Make Your Own Juggling Balls

Ranked #13,091 in Hobbies, Games & Toys, #189,226 overall

Easy Homemade Juggling Balls

I have taught many people to make juggling balls, and I would love to share with you how to make your own!

I grew up in a family of jugglers. Friday night was our family night, and each week we would head out to grab dinner then make our way over to join our friends at the local juggling club for a night of ball tossing, club throwing, unicycling, and whatever other fun juggling-related activities we felt like pursuing. We also participated in other juggling events, shows, festivals, and workshops. A favorite was always World Juggling Day in June. On World Juggling Day our group of jugglers would meet together at a local park to juggle all day. This would, of course, attract a lot of spectators and generate a lot of interest in what we were doing. We jugglers were prepared for this and offered anyone who was interested a chance to learn to juggle. We would even send them home with a set of their very own handmade juggling balls made from recycled tennis balls. Follow the simple steps below to make your very own set of juggling balls!

Materials

3 old tennis balls
A sharp craft knife
Filler (rice, wheat kernels, beans, or bird seed)
1 Funnel
6 Balloons

Step 1

type=textGather 3 old tennis balls

Some great places to find old tennis balls are:
a) your garage
b) a local tennis club
c) a high school tennis team
d) stray (lost) balls near a tennis court

Step 2

type=textUsing your craft knife, CAREFULLY cut a slit in each ball along one of the seams. The slit should be wide enough that when you squeeze it open, it creates an opening big enough for the tip of your funnel.

Step 3

type=textUsing your funnel, fill each ball as full as possible (to prevent rattling while juggling) with your chosen filler. The filler adds weight to your balls, making them easier to handle and control while juggling.

Step 4

type=textCut the neck off each balloon, then stretch 1 balloon over each ball to cover and seal the cut opening. Next, stretch an additional balloon over each ball to cover the balloon's opening.

Step 5

type=textJUGGLE!

What do you think?

Will you make your own juggling balls?

  • JJNW Aug 4, 2011 @ 10:04 am | delete
    Yo! I just tweeted about this great page! >>How about "Tweet a Pal" Thursdays? I ? this by @Eridqua on #Squidoo - Make Your Own Juggling Balls [link]< SquidHUGS!
  • JJNW Jul 1, 2011 @ 3:05 pm | delete
    This is a super great page! Wow - in all this time, I have never seen how you do this! Thanks for showing me how to make juggling balls of my very own! Yay. Great photos too!!

    We went to a big juggling festival in Portland, Or one year (I think it was the International event) -- really some of the most fun I have EVER had. If everyone juggled, the world would be a much more enjoyable place.

    "Liked" by a Giant Squid 100 Clubber!
  • vikksimmons Jun 4, 2011 @ 7:31 am | delete
    What a great idea and terrific lens. I love Juggling Fridays. Sometimes I think we've lost a lot in a culture with the emphasis on TVs and movies, all so passive. It's great to hear about your juggling. ;)
  • howdoyouspellstupid Apr 16, 2011 @ 5:39 pm | delete
    How awesome!! Great ideas! Juggling is SO COOL!
  • grandmamarilyn Apr 13, 2011 @ 9:29 am | delete
    Wow! That is cool.
  • Load More

Lens Love!

If you enjoyed this tutorial on how to make your own juggling balls, you can let me know with a thumbs up! Thank you!

This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.

Add this to your lens »

Other Fun Lenses by Eridqua!

Loading

About the Author

Loading

by

eridqua

Greetings! By profession I am a high school Spanish and Math teacher. I am currently taking time off to be at home with my 4 year old and new baby. I... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!