If you’re up for making a quickie toy for your toddler to push around, read on to find out how to make a doggie rolling toy from a simple paper plate.
Materials:
- flimsy paper plate
- markers or crayons
- scissors
- hole punch
- drinking straw
- two small empty spools
Instructions:
- Fold the plate in half. Draw the outline of the profile of a dog’s head and body on the plate so that the fold will run down the center of the dog’s back. Cut out and decorate your dog with markers or crayons.
- Hold the front legs together and punch a hole in them 1/4 inch from the bottom. Do the same for the back legs.
- Cut the drinking straw in half. Slip one piece of the straw through a hole in the front leg. Put a spool over the straw, then put the straw through the hole in the other leg. Even out the straw and trip so 1/2 inch sticks out from each leg. Repeat this process for the back.
Now your dog will stand up on the spools. Give him a little push and watch him roll.
Extra fun variations:
- Make other four-legged creatures like cats, cows, or horses.
- Make two roller toys and race them. Which is faster, the tortoise or the hare?
This post is reprinted from Make These Toys: 101 Clever Creations Using Everyday Items by Heather Swain by arrangement with Perigee, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Copyright (c) 2010 Heather Swain.
