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Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Pipe cleaner activity

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A couple of weeks ago I purchased a pack of pipe cleaners, I was going to do an activity with my son I had seen on Pinterest. 
It was the one where you cut up the pipe cleaners, place them in a bottle, and use a magnet to move them around.
It looked really fun, but I couldn't find a magnet anywhere.
So, this is what I came up with instead.
Supplies
pipe cleaners
empty bottle (I just used an orange juice bottle)
a sharp knife
a push pin
a nail

Using the sharp knife, cut off the bottom part of the bottle. (Be careful!!)
 The easiest method I found for making the holes was to first poke the push pin though, 
 and then poke the nail through the same hole, and move it around a little to make it larger. Poke holes around the whole bottle.
 It probably only took about 10 minutes to make all the holes.
 At first I tried to have my son push the pipe cleaners through to the other side, but that took A LOT of concentration and patience. Something an almost 4 year old doesn't always possess :)
 He got a couple through all by himself, but I could tell it might not hold his attention much longer, 
 so I told him to just poke the pipe cleaners through any holes to make it look 'crazy'
 He loved it! 
 There was a lot of thought as to where he was going to put certain colors
 The finished 'design' :)
 Once he was all done we pulled out all the pipe cleaners, straightened them out a little, and 'stored' them in the bottle.
I love the flexibility of this activity, and that it can look different each time!
Do you have any pipe cleaner activities?

25 comments:

  1. That looks like fun! I bet my 3 year old would like that :)

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  2. This is such an awesome idea!! It's great how entertaining simple things can be for a child :)

    Thank you for linking up to Raising Imperfection Sunday Link Up!!
    Come back Friday to see if your post was featured.

    Lanaya
    http://www.raising-reagan.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, I know, I love finding things I don't have to spend a lot of money on that will keep my son's attention :)

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  3. This is such a great idea. I love your kids crafts ideas. I would love for you to come over and check out The new kids crafts blog called The CSI Project Kids. I am the owner of the cSI Project and now a blog just for kids. I would love for you to do a tutorial with your kids too. This challenge is crafting with toilet paper rolls so come link up next week.
    Email me if you would like to do a tutorial and I will let you sign up.
    dee@thecsiproject.com
    www.thecsiprojectkids.com
    www.thecsiproject.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! We actually made a Thanksgiving craft last night using toilet paper rolls :) I'll head over and check it out!

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  4. Very cool activity!

    Found you on the Mommy brain mixer! Following and commenting from http://fluffimama.blogspot.com/ I hope you'll do the same! Be sure to enter my giveaway for for a free Gold Canyon candle :)

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  5. Cute project!


    http://brownsistacrista.blogspot.com/

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  6. Great for hand eye coordination..I have a 4 yr old boy too that would probably enjoy this!

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  7. Ooh, my 3 year old would love this!

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    Replies
    1. It's fun to just watch their creativity and see how they approach it :)

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  8. Fun! I think my almost 4-year-old would like it too.

    I'd love for you to come link up at my link party this week! http://www.gingerlymade.com/2012/11/show-and-tell-2.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi! I am your newest follower and was hoping that you'd stop by and follow me back!

    www.enjoyingtheepiphany.com

    Thanks,
    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the follow! I'll make sure to stop on by :)

      Delete
  10. What a great idea! Stumbled upon your post while looking for something to do with pipe cleaners with my 13 month old! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a great idea. I love the colours.

    Thanks for link g to the Sunday showcase.

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  12. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful post.. You have shared unique ways of using pipe cleaners and I will surely try this..
    bond cleaning sydney

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  13. I've been browsing your blog and love all your kid activities. Please link-up with Entertaining and Education on Fridays whenever you can. It's a small blog-hop, and my readers are almost all homeschoolers. I think they will love your ideas.

    http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-crafts-for-children.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. I use a dish strainer and the kids love to design. Some call it a hat, monster, space ship and they are practicing their fine motor skills and problem solving skills!!

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