Have you noticed how kids will turn something bound for the trashcan in to a treasure? At our house, this most commonly happens with cardboard rolls from paper towels and toilet paper. The Bear (almost 4) loves to turn them in to swords, binoculars, and telescopes. We don’t use a lot of paper towels, so whenever we run through a roll he gets really excited to make an “eye scope”. Usually the roll becomes a telescope until it is too bent to see through and then transforms in to a sword. Paper towel rolls get taped together and made in to “knock-ulars”. For this spring’s 60 Day Junk Play Challenge, we decided to take a few of our old paper towel rolls and turn them in to special works of art.
I set the Bear up to paint his cardboard roll, and he had a great time decorating. I used painter’s tape to make stripes so a fun design would be revealed when the paint dried.
He then took to his pirate ship and loved playing with his special sword/telescope. The painting added an extra element of fun to the pretend play, and we had a fun morning that cost nothing.
How do you play with the junk around your house? Join the 60 Day Junk Play Challenge to find lots more ideas for those items bound for the landfill and turn them in to fun for your kids. Read how we entertain the kids with cardboard boxes here.
