Material: Pipe Cleaners

The Felt Fish Hook Rescue

The Felt Fish Hook Rescue

Steps:

  • Use your markers to draw 5 small fish shapes on your felt.
  • Carefully cut out the felt fish using your scissors.
  • Cut 5 tiny strips of cardboard, about 1 inch long each.
  • Glue the ends of a cardboard strip to a fish to make a small loop.
  • Repeat this for all 5 fish and place them inside your basket.
  • Take a pipe cleaner and twist one end into a small, sturdy hook.
  • Wrap the other end of the pipe cleaner around your child’s index finger.
  • Challenge your child to hold the basket steady with one hand.
  • Use the finger hook to snag a fish loop and lift it out!

Safety Tip:
Pipe cleaners have wire ends. Ensure the ends are curled inward or covered with tape to prevent scratches.

The Tiny Pom-Pom Tree Grove

The Tiny Pom-Pom Tree Grove

Steps:

  • Use a pair of scissors to cut small, three-inch circles from your cardboard pieces.
  • Have your child use the hole puncher to click a single hole right in the center of every circle.
  • Slide one pipe cleaner through the hole and twist the bottom so the tree stands up tall.
  • Bend the top of the pipe cleaner into several little branches that point in different directions.
  • Ask your child to pick up a colorful pom-pom using only their thumb and pointer finger.
  • Carefully set the pom-pom on a branch so it stays perfectly balanced without any glue.
  • Challenge them to see how many pom-poms they can add to their tiny forest!

Safety Tip:
Pom-poms are a choking hazard. Please supervise your child closely and ensure they do not put them in their mouth.

The Gravity Bead Labyrinth

The Gravity Bead Labyrinth

Steps:

  • Find a plastic basket with small holes along the sides.
  • Give your child several colorful pipe cleaners.
  • Show them how to thread one pipe cleaner through a hole on one side.
  • Pull it across the middle and out through a hole on the opposite side.
  • Continue adding pipe cleaners at different angles to create a crisscross mesh floor.
  • Drop three large beads onto the fuzzy mesh you just created.
  • Ask your child to hold the basket handles with both hands.
  • Challenge them to tilt the basket gently to roll the beads across the mesh.
  • Try to keep the beads on the floor without them falling through the gaps!

Safety Tip:
Ensure the pipe cleaner ends are tucked in to avoid any small pokes.

The Egg Carton Bridge Weaver

The Egg Carton Bridge Weaver

Steps:

  • Flip your empty egg carton upside down on the table.
  • Use your markers to draw small dots on the very top of each egg cup.
  • Adult step: Use scissors to poke a small, narrow hole through each marker dot.
  • Give your child a pipe cleaner and ask them to push one end into a hole.
  • Encourage them to bend the pipe cleaner over to a different egg cup.
  • Have them push the other end into a second hole to make a bridge.
  • Continue adding pipe cleaners to create a crisscross web over the peaks.
  • Challenge them to see how many colorful bridges they can build without any collapsing!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child when they are using scissors or pipe cleaners to avoid pokes.

The Fuzzy Button Link

The Fuzzy Button Link

Steps:

  • Select several colorful pipe cleaners and a handful of large buttons.
  • Show your child how to thread a pipe cleaner through a button hole.
  • Ask them to pull it halfway and twist the end to secure it.
  • Have them thread the other end through a hole in another button.
  • Continue connecting buttons with pipe cleaners to form a long link chain.
  • Challenge your child to see how many links they can add to the chain!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play as buttons and pipe cleaners can be a choking hazard.