Today’s post comes from Jamie over at hands on : as we grow. Be sure to read through to the bottom of the post to see her bio and link to her blog. She makes me miss Wisconsin the way she calls them “pop cans;” where I’m from–Atlanta–they are “coke cans,” no matter what beverage they contain.
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Simple toys. Gotta love them. I’ve been collecting pop cans tabs ever since I collected ideas for the Upcycle Your Recyclables roundup. I couldn’t for the life of me find any way to use pop cans or the pop can tabs. I know the pop cans have the sharp edges at the mouth, so I’ve put that idea aside for awhile. But we did have some fun with the pop can tabs. So, if you have a collection of pop can tabs. Add some pipe cleaners to the mix and you’ve created a threaded activity for the kids to keep busy with. (Plus the dumping out and picking up of the pop can tabs can definitely keep them busy in itself.)
George, my 18 month old, just thought this was hilarious. I put a couple tabs on his pipe cleaner to show him what he can do. He quickly pulled them off. He just like to play with the pop can tabs! Once he tried threading them onto the pipe cleaner again, he thought he was brilliant for getting one on! Once he got two on, he was definitely a genius!
I thought for sure Henry (my four year old) would thread on tab after tab to make a bracelet or something of the sort. As usual, the activity doesn’t turn out as I expect. Instead, he tried to see how incredibly fast he could pull of the pop can tab after he put it on. He kept asking me to “Watch how fast I can do it Mom”!
Isn’t there great fun to be had found in your recycling bin?
Jamie is the creator of hands on : as we grow, where she blogs about all the fun activities, crafts and art projects she does with her two boys, Henry (4) and George (1 1/2). They like simple toys and have fun learning in their every day play.
Editor’s note: This post is a part of Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Show & Share Saturday, It’s Playtime!, Kids’ Co-Op, and Your Green Resource