Make this toy: wheelie dog

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:

1. 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.
2. Hold the front legs together and punch a hole in them 1/4 inch from the bottom. Do the same for the back legs.
3. 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.