Pipe Cleaners - Page 5 of 14

Corner Fold & Weave Push

Steps:

Give your child a piece of cardboard. Encourage them to use both hands to tear the cardboard into rough, postage stamp-sized pieces.
Take one torn cardboard piece. Fold a corner tightly in half, then fold it over one more time to create a dense, narrow point.
Place the finished folded pieces in the plastic container. These are your weaving targets.
Take a pipe cleaner and curl one end into a loop to create a dull ‘needle.’
Hold the folded cardboard piece firmly steady with your helper hand.
Use your dominant hand to grip the pipe cleaner needle with a strong pincer grasp. Push the needle straight through the tight folded point of the cardboard.
Repeat this process, pushing the pipe cleaner through each resistant cardboard fold.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners are small materials and pose a choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths. Ensure any cut ends of the pipe cleaners are curled safely before starting the activity.

Tight Coil Ribbon Weave

Steps:

Adult Prep: Use masking tape to secure the cardboard firmly onto a stable table. Cut pipe cleaners into 4-inch sections if needed.
Encourage your child to wrap one pipe cleaner tightly around a pencil. Slide the pencil out to create a small, dense coil. Repeat this action to create six colorful coils.
Use small pieces of masking tape to secure one end of each finished coil firmly onto the cardboard base. Space the coils out slightly in a winding path.
Cut a long piece of ribbon (about 18 inches). Tie one end of the ribbon securely onto the first coil target.
Challenge your child to use their fingertips to carefully push the loose end of the ribbon straight through the center of the next tight coil.
Continue this weaving action. The child should push the ribbon through each coil one by one until they reach the end of the coiled line.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required, as sharp scissors are used for preparation. Ensure the ends of the pipe cleaners are curled or tucked safely. Collect all small materials immediately after play.

Resistant Frame Weave

Steps:

Adult Prep: Cut a sturdy square from the cardboard. Use the masking tape to wrap a dense, continuous layer around the entire perimeter of the square, sticky side OUT. Press the sticky tape firmly onto the cardboard base.
Place the cardboard frame on a stable table. Encourage your child to bend and straighten the pipe cleaners until they are stiff sticks.
Ask your child to hold the cardboard frame firmly steady with their helper hand to stabilize the base.
Using the working hand, aim the pipe cleaner tip at the narrow, sticky frame edge. Use a strong push and a twisting motion to thread the pipe cleaner all the way through the sticky tape layer.
Continue this pushing and weaving action until the entire sticky frame is filled with colorful, rigid pipe cleaners.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners are small materials and pose a choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths. Adults must handle the scissors during preparation.

Tear & Thread Cardboard Chain

Steps:

Adult Prep: Secure a piece of construction paper onto a stable piece of cardboard. Use the hole puncher to create 8 to 10 holes evenly around the edges of the board.
Give your child strips of sturdy cardboard. Encourage them to use both hands to tear the strips and crumple the pieces into tight, dense balls. Drop the finished balls into the container.
Pick up one colorful pipe cleaner. Help your child push the stiff pipe cleaner straight through the center of one dense cardboard ball. This creates a ‘loaded pin’.
Challenge your child to hold the cardboard frame steady with their helper hand. Thread the loaded pin through one punched hole in the frame. Pull the pipe cleaner through.
Weave the pin back through the next open hole, linking the crumpled cardboard ball to the frame. Repeat this process until all the crumpled pieces create a colorful chain around the border.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Small pieces of torn cardboard and cut pipe cleaners are small objects and pose a significant choking hazard for children who still place items in their mouths.

Foam Corduroy Road Push

Steps:

Adult Prep: Cut the Foam Sheet into several small strips (about 1 inch wide and 3 inches long). Roll each strip tightly into a narrow tube and secure the seam with masking tape.
Use masking tape to secure these foam tubes vertically onto the piece of sturdy cardboard. Arrange them close together to look like a ‘corduroy road’.
Cut the pipe cleaners into short, stiff 3-inch segments. Place these ‘cords’ in the plastic container.
Challenge your child to hold the cardboard base firmly steady with their helper hand. This provides stability for the pushing hand.
Use a strong pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger) to pick up one pipe cleaner cord.
Aim the cord at the top opening of a foam tube. Push the pipe cleaner straight down until it travels completely through the resistant foam tube. Repeat until all the tubes are filled!

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Adults must handle the scissors for preparation. The short pipe cleaner pieces are small materials and pose a significant choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths.