By Vanessa Coppolla
One of my toddler's favorite things to do is rummage through our recyclables bin, which I seriously need to find a better way to child-proof. I'm not sure why I spend money on toys for Logan when he prefers to play with the cardboard box that the toys arrived in. Give him a paper bag and he'll be your best friend - and entertained for a good hour.
After many days of trying to keep him out of our old plastic bottles, I decided to embrace his curiosity. Yes, I let him play with our trash. Well, I actually upcycled (because this sounds better than just letting him play with trash) a few of our old plastic water bottles and turned them into exploration bottles. I simply added a few small colorful trinkets to old water bottles and they have become Logan's new favorite toys.
You probably already have everything you need for this project lying around the house. Get creative with what you fill your bottles with. Look in your craft supplies, pantries, and backyard for colorful objects. This is the perfect project to enlist the help of big brother or sister.
Materials
3 plastic water bottles (I used Voss water bottles)
Hot glue
Water
Popcorn kernels
Feathers
Small colorful trinkets: pompoms, buttons, sequins, confetti, yarn, ribbon, beads, rocks, leaves, glitter, game board pieces, charms, sea shells, etc.
Directions
Step 1: Remove the labels from the water bottles and allow them to dry overnight with the lids off.
Step 2: Fill the first bottle with feathers. Drop in a few buttons or other shakable objects to add sound to the bottle.
Step 3: Add non-paper confetti to the second bottle and fill it with water. Colorful ribbon or other small trinkets would also make a great addition to this bottle. You can add a few drops of food coloring or glitter to the water, but I noticed that the confetti I was using turned the water a different color after a few hours. You might want to do a "soak test" with your materials before you assemble the bottle.
Step 4: Layer the third bottle with popcorn kernels, buttons, pom poms, beads, and other small shakable items. Instead of popcorn kernels, you could use beans or macaroni. Leave about 3 inches from the top unfilled, for room to shake.
Step 5: Place a few globs of hot glue inside each lid and secure it to the bottle. This should prevent the bottle from being able to be opened by little hands, but as with any toy, please supervise your toddler.
Step 6: Hand the finished exploration bottles to your toddler and let him enjoy his new toys!
About the Author:
Vanessa Coppola crafts from her Arizona home, where she resides with her husband and almost 1-year-old son, Logan. Vanessa is the author of The Crafty Nest, where she blogs about life as a newish mama and all things crafty.
How coincidental - I just did this a couple weeks ago and also used a Voss bottle! It was my second time creating something like this: the first time I used a tennis ball container. I put a handful of popcorn kernels for sound and felt circles of different sizes/colors. With the Voss bottle, I painted pasta shells for color and threw a little rice in there. My 10-month old LOVES them. Not sure why I spend money on toys. :)
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If you leave the water out of the confetti bottle, your little one can experience static electricity! Just rub the sides of the bottle and the confetti will jump all over the place. I used to work for a company that made "sensory tubes", and this is an awesome and cheap DIY version.
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