Tracking - OTPlan

Bottle Labyrinth Ball Squeeze

Boy squeezing a plastic bottle with a taped straw to blow a ping pong ball through a cardboard straw maze at a kitchen table

Steps:

Cut a large flat rectangle from your cardboard to act as the base for your labyrinth.
Use markers to draw a start and finish line on opposite ends of the cardboard.
Cut your straws into various lengths and tape them down to the cardboard to create winding maze walls.
Make sure the paths are just wide enough for the ping pong ball to roll through.
Take an empty, flexible plastic bottle and tape a single straw into the opening, sealing the rest of the cap with masking tape so air only comes out of the straw tip.
Place the ping pong ball at the start line of your maze.
Ask your child to hold the cardboard steady with their non-dominant helper hand.
With their dominant hand, have them squeeze the bottle to release puffs of air through the straw, pushing the ball through the maze toward the finish line.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise children during play to ensure straws and small pieces of tape are used safely. Ensure the plastic bottle is clean and free of sharp edges before assembly.

The Galaxy Bead Spinner

Steps:

Fill a plastic bottle halfway with water.
Drop ten colorful beads into the water.
Use a marker to draw a target circle on the outside of the bottle.
Wrap masking tape around the cap and the neck to seal it shut.
Ask your child to hold the bottle in the middle with a firm grasp.
Challenge them to twist their wrist back and forth quickly.
The goal is to make the beads spin and touch the target circle.
Repeat until they are an expert at making tornadoes!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during water play. Ensure the bottle cap is sealed tightly to keep the beads safe.

The Ziplock Air Launcher

Steps:

Cut a small rectangle of construction paper and wrap it around a straw.
Use a tiny piece of masking tape to secure the paper into a tube.
Tape one end of the tube shut to create the rocket nose.
Slide the straw into the corner of a Ziplock bag.
Seal the bag and use tape to make the opening airtight.
Place the paper rocket over the end of the straw.
Use both hands to give the bag a fast squeeze to launch the rocket!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play. Ensure the paper rocket is not aimed at faces or people.

Balloon Blast Ping Pong Path

Steps:

Cut several long strips of cardboard and bend them into U-shaped arches.
Use masking tape to stick these arches onto a flat table to make a tunnel path.
Place a ping pong ball at the very beginning of the path.
Blow up a bright balloon but do not tie the end shut.
Pinch the balloon neck tightly with your fingers to keep the air inside.
Hold the balloon behind the ball and point the opening at it.
Slowly let go of the pinch to release a blast of air.
Try to blow the ball through every single cardboard arch to the finish!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child when they are playing with balloons. If a balloon pops, pick up and throw away the broken pieces immediately. These can be a choking hazard.

The Ribbon Tail Balloon Catch

Steps:

Blow up a bright balloon and tie it tightly.
Cut four long strips of ribbon using your scissors.
Tape the ribbons to the bottom of the balloon.
Toss the balloon high into the air.
Ask your child to catch the balloon by the ribbons.
See how many times they can catch it before it lands!

Safety Tip:
Always watch your child when playing with balloons. Broken pieces are a choking hazard. Throw away any popped balloons right away.