Pipe Cleaners - Page 5 of 12

Tension Tube Push

Steps:

First, an adult should use the scissors to cut 5 to 7 short, tight slits (about 1 inch long) across the surface of the paper roll.
Help your child take a large piece of playdough and push it firmly into the center of the paper roll. The playdough should be dense and resistant, covering the slits from the inside.
Place the paper roll on a table. Challenge your child to hold the paper roll steady with their helper hand to prevent it from moving while pushing.
Pick up a pipe cleaner from the container. Encourage your child to aim the pipe cleaner tip at one of the narrow slits.
Use a strong, steady push to insert the pipe cleaner completely through the slit and into the resistant playdough core. The playdough holds it in place.
Continue pushing the pipe cleaners into all the slots until the entire ‘tension tube’ is full. Then, try pulling them out for an extra workout!

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners and pieces of playdough are small objects and pose a potential choking hazard for children under five. Ensure the child only pushes the pipe cleaners into the designated tube.

Banded Post Stretch

Steps:

Adult Prep: Press a large lump of playdough firmly into the bottom of the plastic container to create a stable base.
Adult Prep: Twist several pipe cleaners tightly into small, stiff rings or loops. These are your ‘bands’ that need stretching.
Have your child insert 6 to 8 craft sticks vertically into the playdough base. Ensure they stand up straight and firmly.
Challenge your child to pick up one pipe cleaner band. They must use both hands together to pull and stretch the band open.
Hold the container steady with the non-dominant hand. Use the stretched band and aim it carefully onto the top of a standing craft stick.
Continue stretching and placing the bands until every craft stick tower is ringed. Try placing multiple bands on one stick for a stack.

Safety Tip:
Pipe cleaners are small and pose a choking hazard. Constant and direct adult supervision is required throughout this activity. Ensure the child does not place materials near their mouth.

Pipe Cleaner Ring Drop

Steps:

Adult Prep: Use the scissors to cut a strip of construction paper that fits over the container opening. Secure this paper firmly with masking tape.
Adult Prep: Cut one very narrow, tight slit (about 1.5 inches long) in the center of the secured paper strip to create a resistant mail slot.
Give your child the pipe cleaners. Encourage them to use both hands to bend and twist each pipe cleaner into a tight, stiff ring or loop.
Ask your child to hold the prepared container firmly with their helper hand to keep it stable on the table.
Pick up one stiff pipe cleaner ring. Challenge your child to thread the ring straight through the narrow, resistant slit using a strong, controlled push.
Repeat this process until all the loops have successfully been dropped inside the container.

Safety Tip:
Pipe cleaners are a choking hazard if ingested. Constant, direct adult supervision is required. Ensure any cut or broken ends are collected immediately as they may be sharp.

Fuzzy Force Sculpture

Steps:

Secure the felt sheet firmly onto the cardboard using masking tape. Stand the cardboard upright against a wall or chair.
Place the pile of pipe cleaners in the container nearby. Encourage your child to pick up one fuzzy stick.
Use both hands together to bend and twist the pipe cleaner into a tight, dense shape, like a small coil or spiral. Bending requires strength!
Ask your child to hold the cardboard steady with their helper hand to provide stability for the surface.
Challenge them to press the bent pipe cleaner firmly onto the felt surface until it sticks.
Continue bending and pressing fuzzy sticks to create a unique sculpture, like an animal or a colorful abstract design.
Try switching the hands used for bending and stabilizing to give both sides a workout.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners can have sharp ends after cutting or twisting. Ensure the child does not place materials near their mouth, eyes, or ears.

Tight Cardboard Ties

Steps:

Ask an adult to cut 6 to 8 small, sturdy shapes from the cardboard (squares and rectangles work best).
Encourage your child to use markers to decorate and color each cardboard piece.
Help your child break the pipe cleaners into shorter, 4-inch strips. This breaking provides good heavy work input.
Take two cardboard pieces. Hold them together firmly with one hand so the edges overlap.
Use your working hand to wrap one pipe cleaner strip tightly around the overlapping edges, twisting the ends together until the connection is secure.
Continue connecting pieces. Build a 3D structure like a cube, a robot, or a tall, zig-zagging tower.

Safety Tip:
Pipe cleaners can have sharp ends after being cut or broken. Constant, direct adult supervision is required. Ensure children do not place these small materials near their mouths, eyes, or ears.