T.P. Tube Binoculars

T.P. Tube Binoculars
Rating:
No votes yet
Supervision:
1 adult per 10 children
You will need:
  1. 2 T.P. tubes
  2. 2 bottle caps (from a soda or water bottle)
  3. Ribbon, lanyard, or yarn
  4. Hole punch
  5. Scissors
  6. Ruler
  7. Pencil
  8. Double-sided tape OR glue stick AND a hot glue gun
  9. 2 pieces of 8.5 x 11 construction paper
Intro:

If you have a child that loves spending hours in creative play making up stories about the things they see around them, then T.P. tube binoculars are the perfect craft. Easy to construct out of everyday materials, these binoculars enhance any safari, camping, or spy activities!

Step 1:

First, make sure that you have all of your materials. As long as you have some type of gluing adhesive you can make this craft. However, you will find the most success if you use a hot glue gun for gluing the bottle caps instead of the other types a glue, although those still work for the rest of the craft.

Step 2:

Place one piece of construction paper in front of you. Place a T.P. tube at the top corner of the construction paper along the edge. Next, put the ruler next to the inner edge of the T.P. tube on the construction paper. Using your pencil, draw a straight line along the ruler. With scissors, cut along the pencil mark. Repeat this two more times, as you will need three strips of paper that perfectly fit the width of the T.P. tubes.

Step 3:

Using a hot glue gun or a glue stick, glue the strips of construction paper onto the T.P. tubes by rolling the tubes as you would "pigs in a blanket." Place a strip of glue or tape on the edge of the paper and roll. Roll the paper completely around the tube and seal it in place with glue or tape. Repeat with the other T.P. tube. Leave the third strip of paper aside (we don't need it yet!).

Step 4:

Now it's time to use those plastic bottle caps. With a glue gun (adults, your help would be wonderful in supervising the little ones), you will glue both bottle caps side by side, leaving about an inch between them. Place them on the long side of the tube.

Step 5:

Once secure, apply another ring of hot glue to the other side of the bottle caps, and stick the remaining T.P. tube to the glue. Let it sit for a few moments as the glue sets. Can you see the super-cool binoculars beginning to take shape?

Step 6:

With you remaining strip of construction paper, wrap the entire binocular set. Just as you did with the T.P. tubes, apply a line of glue or tape at the edge of the paper, and place the binoculars on top. Then start the "pigs in a blanket" roll. When your papers meet, secure them in place with tape or glue.

Step 7:

And now for the finishing touch! Take your hole punch and punch one hole on the outside of each T.P. tube. (Try and get the holes in a similar place on both tubes.) Now for the neck strap! Tie your ribbon to one hole attaching it to the binoculars.

Step 8:

Estimate how long you would like the neck strap to be, and cut the ribbon accordingly. Finally, tie it to the other hole. Ta-da! Homemade binoculars!

Step 9:

Now you can decorate your binoculars any way you want!

,
Craft Variations:

Your binoculars can be bright and colorful, or camouflaged and stealthy.

Rating:
No votes yet
Supervision:
1 adult per 10 children
You will need:
  1. 2 T.P. tubes
  2. 2 bottle caps (from a soda or water bottle)
  3. Ribbon, lanyard, or yarn
  4. Hole punch
  5. Scissors
  6. Ruler
  7. Pencil
  8. Double-sided tape OR glue stick AND a hot glue gun
  9. 2 pieces of 8.5 x 11 construction paper
Difficulty:
Attention, please! (a few rules to follow)
Prep Time:
5 - 10 minutes
Time Length:
5 - 15 minutes
Intro:

If you have a child that loves spending hours in creative play making up stories about the things they see around them, then T.P. tube binoculars are the perfect craft. Easy to construct out of everyday materials, these binoculars enhance any safari, camping, or spy activities!

Step 1:

First, make sure that you have all of your materials. As long as you have some type of gluing adhesive you can make this craft. However, you will find the most success if you use a hot glue gun for gluing the bottle caps instead of the other types a glue, although those still work for the rest of the craft.

Step 2:

Place one piece of construction paper in front of you. Place a T.P. tube at the top corner of the construction paper along the edge. Next, put the ruler next to the inner edge of the T.P. tube on the construction paper. Using your pencil, draw a straight line along the ruler. With scissors, cut along the pencil mark. Repeat this two more times, as you will need three strips of paper that perfectly fit the width of the T.P. tubes.

Step 3:

Using a hot glue gun or a glue stick, glue the strips of construction paper onto the T.P. tubes by rolling the tubes as you would "pigs in a blanket." Place a strip of glue or tape on the edge of the paper and roll. Roll the paper completely around the tube and seal it in place with glue or tape. Repeat with the other T.P. tube. Leave the third strip of paper aside (we don't need it yet!).

Step 4:

Now it's time to use those plastic bottle caps. With a glue gun (adults, your help would be wonderful in supervising the little ones), you will glue both bottle caps side by side, leaving about an inch between them. Place them on the long side of the tube.

Step 5:

Once secure, apply another ring of hot glue to the other side of the bottle caps, and stick the remaining T.P. tube to the glue. Let it sit for a few moments as the glue sets. Can you see the super-cool binoculars beginning to take shape?

Step 6:

With you remaining strip of construction paper, wrap the entire binocular set. Just as you did with the T.P. tubes, apply a line of glue or tape at the edge of the paper, and place the binoculars on top. Then start the "pigs in a blanket" roll. When your papers meet, secure them in place with tape or glue.

Step 7:

And now for the finishing touch! Take your hole punch and punch one hole on the outside of each T.P. tube. (Try and get the holes in a similar place on both tubes.) Now for the neck strap! Tie your ribbon to one hole attaching it to the binoculars.

Step 8:

Estimate how long you would like the neck strap to be, and cut the ribbon accordingly. Finally, tie it to the other hole. Ta-da! Homemade binoculars!

Step 9:

Now you can decorate your binoculars any way you want!

Craft Variations:

Your binoculars can be bright and colorful, or camouflaged and stealthy.

,
Materials:
  1. 2 T.P. tubes
  2. 2 bottle caps (from a soda or water bottle)
  3. Ribbon, lanyard, or yarn
  4. Hole punch
  5. Scissors
  6. Ruler
  7. Pencil
  8. Double-sided tape OR glue stick AND a hot glue gun
  9. 2 pieces of 8.5 x 11 construction paper

Sophie's Tip of the Week

Very young children often like tactile objects. For your youngest attendees create a tactile table to keep them occupied. Fills bins with beans, rice, flour, sand - yes, it will get a bit messy, but little hands love running their fingers through the different materials.