Container - Page 13 of 20

Cardboard Punch Art

Steps:

Decorate a small cardboard square using the markers. Draw simple lines or fun shapes on your canvas.
Place the cardboard flat on a sturdy table. Hold it firmly with your helper hand for stability.
Take the hole puncher and aim it at the cardboard. Squeeze hard to punch holes all over the decorated piece.
Try using only your dominant hand to squeeze the puncher. The cardboard provides great resistance!
Gather the pipe cleaners from the container. Curl one end of a pipe cleaner into a loop to create a dull ‘needle.’
Thread the pipe cleaner through the punched holes. Create colorful patterns as you weave in and out.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise this activity closely. Hole punchers can pinch fingers if hands are misplaced. The small cardboard punch-outs and pipe cleaner pieces are small objects. They pose a choking hazard for children under five.

Felt Slot Feed

Steps:

Adult Prep: Cut a felt square to cover the container opening. Glue the felt securely onto the container rim, creating a lid.
Cut 4 to 6 short, narrow slits (about 1 inch long) into the center of the felt lid. These slits must be tight.
Give your child a sheet of construction paper. Encourage them to use both hands to tear the paper into small pieces (about stamp-sized).
Ask your child to hold the container steady with their helper hand to provide proximal stability.
Challenge them to use a strong finger push to insert one torn paper piece through a narrow felt slot.
Continue feeding the container until all the torn paper scraps are successfully pushed through the resistant felt slots.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required when using scissors. The torn paper pieces are small and pose a potential choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths.

Fuzzy Stick Twister

Steps:

Use a marker to draw a simple shape or a target zone (like a thick stripe) on the center of one craft stick.
Place the craft stick flat on the table. Ask your child to hold the stick very steady with their non-dominant hand.
Encourage the child to take one pipe cleaner and use their dominant hand fingers to tightly twist the fuzzy stick around the craft stick. The goal is to cover the marked zone completely.
Challenge them to keep the wraps tight and neat. Once finished, they can unwrap the pipe cleaner for another round, practicing the reverse movement.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required during this activity. Ensure the pipe cleaner ends are curled slightly before use, as cut wire can be sharp. Monitor closely to prevent the child from placing the materials in their mouth, as small pieces pose a choking hazard.

Resistance Band Rescue

Steps:

Adult Prep: Take 2 or 3 pipe cleaners and twist them tightly together to create a thick, stiff band.
Tightly wrap 4 to 5 of these thick pipe cleaner bands around the lid or body of the plastic container. Make sure they are secure and difficult to remove.
Place the container on a stable table. Challenge your child to hold the container firmly with their non-dominant (helper) hand to keep it steady.
Ask the child to use their dominant hand to grasp a band using only their thumb and pointer finger (pincer grasp).
Encourage them to use controlled effort to pull the tight band off the container. Try to keep the container hand perfectly still.
Count how many bands are rescued, and then wrap them back on to play again.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners are small and pose a choking hazard for children under five. Ensure that the pipe cleaners are fully unwrapped and collected immediately after the activity.

Foil Drip Maze

Steps:

Prepare the maze surface: Cover a flat piece of cardboard entirely with aluminum foil, crimping the edges up slightly to create a sturdy, shallow tray (this is your waterproof maze board).
Use markers to draw a simple maze or a winding path on the foil surface. Draw a start circle and a finish circle for the water drop to travel between.
Mix a small amount of water with food coloring in a container. Demonstrate how to load the eyedropper by squeezing the bulb using a neat pincer grasp (thumb and index finger) and drawing up the colored water.
Challenge your child to hold the eyedropper over the start circle and release a single drop. Then, they must carefully angle the tray (bilateral hands) and/or use the eyedropper to push the drop along the marker-drawn path to the finish line, practicing fine control and precision.

Safety Tip:
Ensure close supervision as small objects (like eyedropper parts) and colored water are used. Always supervise to prevent ingestion of materials.