Summer Boredom Buster {Toilet Paper Roll Train}

This Toilet Paper Roll Train is fun for little kids to put together.  They can glue the shapes onto paper and then a parent can assemble it.  Click here for directions.

TP Roll Transportation Roundup

Here's a roundup of some of my favorite transportation vehicles that we've created with toilet paper & paper towel rolls.  If you have any plane, trains, or automobiles you've created please share a link to your site in the comments.

Toilet Paper Roll Airplane 

Toilet Paper Roll Race Car

Cardboard Tube Train

Toilet Paper Roll Airplane

 Airplane Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, piece of cardboard (cut in a pointed oval shape), black dots or scraps, scissors

 Begin by cutting slits in the side of your toilet paper roll and sliding your pointed oval cardboard through the slits.

 Cover the entire thing in a coat of paint.

 Glue on some windows and allow to dry.  Our windows were circle punch out scraps from another project, but you could easily use other scraps or cut them in different shapes.

Once dry, your airplane is ready to fly around the house.

Book Suggestion: Going on a Plane is an excellent book to check out if you're going to be traveling with young children on an airplane.  We brought it home from our local library the week before we all flew to Boston for our family vacation and it was a great way for Cole to prepare for the trip.

Cardboard Tube Ramp

 Ramp Supply List: 1 wrapping paper tube, duct tape, colored electrical tape, scissors, little cars

 Start by cutting the tube in a straight line all the way down.

 Fold your tube in half and crease it in the middle.  Use the duct tape to tape over the edges of the wrapping paper tube and use the colored electrical tape to make racing stripes down the center of your two racing sides.

Race your cars!  We found that smaller sized cars worked better than some of the larger ones that Cole has.  It was really trial and error to find a few that worked the best.  Here's a little film clip I took so you can see the ramp in action.

Recycled Parking Garage

 Parking Garage Supply List: 8 toilet paper rolls, 1 cardboard box, tape, markers, glue, scissors

 Cut 1 side out off of the cardboard box.

 Cut slits in your cardboard box that are wide enough for a car to fit on.

 Use your markers to draw some parking spaces.

 Glue the flat piece of cardboard between 4 toilet paper rolls.

Glue the piece of cardboard with sides on top of your toilet paper rolls.  Bend the slits you cut down to create ramps for your cars.

Toilet Paper Roll Hubble Space Telescope

I have one last space themed craft to share in honor of last week's Space Day.  This Hubble Space Telescope craft was one of the easiest projects we've done so far.  It required very little adult assistance and Cole's favorite, very little drying time before he could play with the satellite.

 Hubble Telescope Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, popsicle stick, scissors, glue, construction paper, tin foil

 Cut slits on opposite sides of your toilet paper roll.  They should go a little more than half way up the side of the tube.  Slide your popsicle stick to the center of the tube.

 Cover your toilet paper roll in tin foil.

 Cut your paper into two 4"x4" squares.  Fold them in half and glue them to the ends of the popsicle sticks.

Book Suggestion: We checked out the book Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: What the Hubble Telescope Saw from the library and wow, the pictures were amazing.  Cole loved looking at all of the images and reading about how the Hubble Telescope works.  It's a great read for kids of all ages.

Cardboard Tube Space Shuttle

I mentioned yesterday that it was Space Day and in addition to our rocket, we also made a space shuttle. I don't have very good pictures of the shuttle because Cole was very cranky during the crafting process.  I should also mention that no sooner were we done with it and he puked all over our creation.  Needless to say, the shuttle got tossed in the garbage can in record time.

Space Shuttle Supply List: 1 paper towel roll, glue, construction paper, tissue paper, scissors

 Cut or tear your tissue paper into little pieces.  Cover your paper towel roll in glue and adhere the little pieces of tissue paper. While you're allowing the paper towel roll to dry cut out your shuttle wings and top triangle piece.  You're going to want to cut out 2 large triangles and 1 smaller one.  In addition, you'll need a piece shaped like an eye.

 Cut slits in the paper towel roll to slide your wings into.  Create a triangular cone (I used a stapler to keep it closed).

Glue your wings and rocket top on to the paper towel tube and allow to dry.

Book Suggestion: I Want to Be an Astronaut is a great book to introduce kids to the job demands of life in space.  If you're looking for a book to introduce the concept of an astronaut, or as a launching point for a discussion about what astronauts do, this is it.

Paper Towel Roll Rocket {Space Day}

Did you know that the first Friday in May is Space Day?  You can learn more about Space Day at their official website.  In honor of the day we made a rocket and a space shuttle.  I'll share the shuttle project with you tomorrow.

Rocket Supply List: 1 paper towel roll, paint, construction paper, scissors, glue

 Start by painting your paper towel roll.  As you can see, Cole chose to make a red rocket.

 Cut out the construction paper wings and rocket cap.  You'll need 4 right triangles and 1 piece shaped like an eye.  I had to experiment to get the sizing just right on the piece for the top of the rocket.

 Cut 4 slits on the bottom of your paper towel roll.  Insert your right triangle pieces and bend them.  Use your glue to adhere the construction paper to the inside of your tube.

 Repeat until all 4 triangles are adhered to the bottom of the rocket.

 Bend your eye shaped piece of construction paper to form a triangular tube.  I used a stapler to keep it's shape.  Glue your construction paper to the top of the paper towel roll.

Fly your rocket around the house!

Book Suggestion:  We found the book Roaring Rockets at the library this week and Cole has loved it.  It rhymes, it has great rocket facts and the characters are cute, funny animals.  Pretty much all the ingredients needed for a delightful story.

Toilet Paper Roll Shape Train

 Train Supply List: 3 toilet paper rolls, colored construction paper, hole punch, string, scissors, glue

 Cut 3 strips of paper for each tube.  These are going to cover the outside of the toilet paper roll.  Cut shapes from different colored paper.  We had black circles, red rectangles, blue squares and green triangles.

 Glue your shapes onto the rectangular pieces.  Once those are dry glue the rectangular strips around the toilet paper roll. 

 Punch holes in the toilet paper rolls and attach your string.  Now your train is ready to pull around the house.

Book Suggestion: This old favorite, The Little Engine That Could, is one that we like to read over and over again.  It is inspirational and entertaining all at the same time.  Kids will love reading about how the little blue engine tries his hardest to get up and over the big hill.

Toilet Paper Roll Race Car

 Race Car Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, hole punch, scissors, 4 plastic bottle lids, 2 toothpicks, 1 straw

 Begin by painting your toilet paper roll.

 While you're waiting for your toilet paper roll to dry trim your straw to just a little shorter than your toothpicks. 

 Punch holes in your toilet paper roll and thread the straw through.  Then insert the toothpick through the straw.

 Punch some small holes in the plastic lids.  You want to make sure that you get the hole directly in the center so that the wheels don't wobble.

 Put the wheels onto the toothpicks.  I ended up putting a little drop of glue on the outside of the wheel, right where the toothpick poked through, but it wasn't necessary.  I just didn't want the baby to pull them off and try to eat them.

Cut a hole in the center of the toilet paper roll for a seat and find a little friend who wants to go for a ride.

Book Suggestion: R is for Race: A Stock Car Alphabet is a great book that is as rhyming verse for that little kids will love and longer paragraphs that are good for older kids.  It's perfect for the little car enthusiast in your house.