making toys from waste materials

Making toys from waste

materials

© Cotlands_Making toys from waste material

2

EARLY LEARNING RESOURCE INSTRUCTIONS RESOURCES

Make a book

Pre-cut cardboard to size of choice

Select pictures from magazines, shopping

catalogues or pamphlets:

Select images for themed books:

Transport Pets Farm animals

Gardens Toys Insects / birds

Colours, shapes, numbers

Things around the home etc

Cut out pictures and paste neatly onto

cardboard

Neatly write label under pictures

Laminate or use DC Fix contact paper to protect

and re-enforce the pages

Punch holes and thread through string or use a

binding machine

Colour cardboard

Scissors

Punch

String

Glue

Magazines, store

pamphlets

Laminator or DC Fix –

Contact paper

Binding machine

Refer to the following websites for South African stories in all languages: Nalibali.org http://nalibali.org/story-library/multilingual-stories

Bookdash.org https://bookdash.org/see/books/

The Sock Man

Story sock man Put the sock over the mouth of the bottle

Pull up a little portion of the sock above the

bottle's neck and fasten the bow tie around it

to form the man's head

Draw nose, eyebrows, mouth and ears on the

cardboard sheet

Cut them out and paste them onto the face

Alternatively use buttons for the face

Glue matchsticks on the head for the man's hair

Alternatively use cut strips of wool for the hair

A plastic bottle

An old pair of socks

Matchsticks,

toothpicks or wool

A cardboard sheet

Felt pens/marker

Strip of material to

make a bow tie

Buttons

Glue

When reading to children, point and identify names of the body parts.

You can make up your own story in your choice of language

http://nalibali.org/story-library/multilingual-stories

https://bookdash.org/see/books/


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Stacking cups

Yoghurt cups can be used as stacking cups

Wash yoghurt cups to make sure they are clean

Paint cups in different colours and let dry

Use a permanent market to draw shapes,

numbers or dots on the cups, or stick on

stickers

Use cups to stack – turn upside down, build a

pyramid

Using the number cups find the counter with

the matching number or dots

Small yoghurt tubs

Enamel paint – various

colours

Permanent marker

Pictures/ stickers

Shape sorters

Take a cardboard box or 2ℓ ice cream container

and paint it and allow to dry

Or, cover with wrapping or coloured paper

Take a stanley knife and cut different shapes in

the lid:

o circle, square, triangle, rectangle, diamond –

image 2

o different size and thickness bottle tops and

lids - image 3

Reinforce the corners of cardboard box and

slots for posting.

Great activity for:

o hand-eye coordination,

o fine motor control

o matching

o visual memory

cardboard box or 2ℓ

ice cream container

Enamel paint

Coloured or wrapping

paper

Shape templates:

make own from

cardboard, bottle

tops, or cookie cutters

Turpentine

Paint brush

Filament tape


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Building blocks

Mix the paint

Glue all the lids closed

Paint the egg cartons (blue, red, yellow, green,

orange), place on paper and leave to dry

Leave 3 cartons whole

o Cut one of the cartons in half using a stanley

knife or large scissor

o Cut one of the cartons in 3 (thirds)

Use cartons blocks to build tower/ objects

Show how the half and thirds of a carton can

make up 1 whole carton

5 x egg cartons (6

eggs)

5 x different coloured

paint

Paintbrushes

5 x small containers

Water

Scrap paper

Scissors / Stanley knife

Skittles

Collect 10 identical plastic bottles (from 370 ml to 1 litre)

Fill the bottles with clean, non-recyclable plastic (dog food bags, torn shopping bags, clingwrap, sweet wrappers etc), compacting the fill so that the bottle is quite firm.

Try get each of the skittles (bottles) to weigh roughly the same (between 200g and 500g)

Be sure to place the cap on the bottle when done

5 identical plastic bottles – water or cold drink bottles less than 1 litre are best

Non-recyclable plastic to use as fill

A stick to compress the plastic while filling the bottle

Small ball (light tennis ball will do)


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Puzzles

Print 2 copies of picture – 1x A4 and 1x A5:

o Use A5 for the example of what needs to be

built

o Cut the A4 into puzzle pieces

Paste both pictures onto cardboard

Cover with DC Fix and carefully smooth out all

bubbles

Select a puzzle template – 4 / 6 / 12 piece and

put on top of the A4 picture

Place paper clips along 4 sides of page

Cut out carefully along the lines

Put a colour dot or symbol at the back of each

puzzle. This makes it easier for children to

identify and pack correct pieces into bag

Place all puzzle pieces and A5 picture into

ziplock bag – ready to use

Print pictures linked to

themes, or

Select pictures from

magazines

Cardboard (cereal box)

DC fix – contact paper

Scissors / stanley knife

Glue

Paper clips

Ziploc bag

See addendum for

templates attached

Peg wheels

Colour peg wheel

Also make a shape peg wheel

Cut cardboard into a circle or cut the border off

a paper plate

Divide circle into 6 or 8 pie slices

Paint each section a different colour and let dry

Cover with contact paper (smooth out all

bubbles) or laminate

Paint each peg a different colour to match

colours in circle

Print colour labels and glue to peg or use

permanent marker and write colours on peg

Thick cardboard or

paper plate

Circle template

Pencil, scissors

6 to 8 paint colours

Paint brushes

Contact paper or

laminator

6 to 8 pegs

Permanent marker

Number peg wheel

Cut cardboard into a circle or cut the border off

a paper plate

Divide circle into 10 and draw lines in circle in

pencil

Paste stars/sticky dots/or draw dots 1 to 10

onto lines in circle

Gently rub out pencil lines

Cover with contact paper (smooth out all

bubbles) or laminate

Use black marker and number pegs 1 - 10

Thick cardboard

Circle template

Pencil

Ruler

Rubber

Scissors

Stars / sticky dots

Contact paper or

laminator

10 pegs

Black marker


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Threading

Fruit lacing

Print and cut out apple template (See Addendum)

Glue template on thick cardboard

Cut out shape and colour in

Optional: cover with DC fix and smooth out all

bubbles to re-enforce the template

Carefully punch holes around edges

Take shoe lace and thread through top 2 holes

and knot at back

Shoe lace will be in front for threading

Cardboard (cereal

box)

Fruit template (see

Addendum 1)

Crayons / Khoki

Scissors / stanley knife

DC Fix – contact

Glue / punch

String / shoe lace

Shoe lacing Print and cut out shoe template (See Addendum)

Glue template on thick cardboard

Cut out shape

Optional: cover with DC fix and smooth out all

bubbles to re-enforce the template

Carefully punch holes around edges

Take shoe lace and thread through top 2 holes

and knot at back

Shoe lace will be in front for threading

Cardboard (cereal

box)

Shoe template (see

Addendum 2)

Crayons / Khoki

Scissors / Stanley

knife

DC Fix – contact

Glue / punch

String / shoe lace


7

Sensory playdough

This is not like ordinary play dough as

it does not have any preservative

ingredients like salt, oil, etc. so it does

not last as long.

If it becomes crumbly then roll into a

ball and keep squeezing and kneading

to warm it up and make it more

pliable – add a few drops of aqueous

cream or conditioner.

This is a stunning play dough recipe that can be

used for children with sensitive skin and is a great

multi-sensory activity for babies and toddlers.

Use fragrant hair conditioner – coconut scented.

But, for children with sensitive skin rather use

aqueous cream.

Method:

Put cornflour/maizena into a mixing bowl

Add 1 tablespoon of conditioner or aqueous

cream

Mix until it looks fluffy and crumbly then use

your hands to work it together until evenly

combined

It may seem dry but keep kneading until it

becomes soft, silky and pliable in your hands

(the heat of your hands helps this process)

If it is still dry – dip your fingers into

conditioner/aqueous cream and knead again –

only a small amount

Split the dough into half or quarter and then

add few drops of food colouring and a drop of

flavoured essence: for example – if you using

yellow food colouring, add lemon essence

If you have used coconut conditioner, then

don’t add any additional flavoured essence

Optional:

For extra multi-sensory texture add a few flakes

of coconut essence, or grate a

lemon/lime/orange peel into dough

This makes a wonderful multi-sensory and

tactile experience for the child

Storage:

Wrap in wax wrap and put into ziplock bag

When using – roll and knead again and if

needed add a drop of conditioner or aqueous

cream

1 cup corn flour

(Maizena)

5 tablespoons scented

hair conditioner or

aqueous cream

Food colouring

Optional:

Drop of flavoured

essence (lemon,

banana, vanilla etc)

Coconut essence

flakes

Grated peel from

lemon, lime or orange


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Bottle doll

Clean plastic cold drink bottle

Add little white or brown enamel paint

into bottle, put on lid and shake bottle so

paint covers inside.

Pour out excess paint and glue on lid

Decorate face

Add scarf or hat and wrap in blanket

2l coke bottle

Enamel paint: white

or brown, and red,

pink, black

Colour permanent

markers

Glue

Hat, scarf, blanket

Stilts


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Wash your tins and remove the labels

Be extra careful with the edge where the lid was

removed – use sandpaper to sand off rough edges

Turn your tins upside down (closed end is facing up)

Use ruler and mark 2cm from top of can

Using a screwdriver or nail, hammer to make hole

Hammer 2 holes on either side of tin

Use metal file or sand paper to smooth off rough

edges

If you can’t get it as smooth as you would like, try

covering that inside edge with duct tape for extra

protection

To decide the length of rope you will need, ask your

tallest child to stand on a can with his arms at his sides

The rope should be long enough to go from the hole, to

his hand (and across the palm), and then back into the

other hole

Add extra length for two knots

Cut two lengths of rope (one for each can)

Use a lighter to burn the ends of the rope so that they

don’t fray

Thread one end of the rope into the can from the

outside

Tie a knot inside the can

Thread the other end of the rope through the

hole in the opposite side of the can and tie

another knot - granny knot

Use paint for metal and paint tins

Tins are ready for use

Resources:

Coffee tins – cleaned

and smooth the

edges with

sandpaper

Nylon string – length

depends on height

of child

Lighter to burn end

of rope

Screwdriver / nail

and hammer

Drill / clamp

Sandpaper / metal

file

Marker and ruler

Paint to decorate

tins – suitable for

metal


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Addendums


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PUZZLE TEMPLATES


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