Cardboard tubes (some people call them paper rolls) are perfect for creating crafts that engage children in pretend play once craft time is finished.

They are also great for using in a variety of STEM activities for kids.  

This Flying Dragon Craft is a fun cardboard tube craft that doubles as a simple STEM activity.  

It uses materials you probably already have on hand, which means your child can get busy creating their very own flying dragon toy, without you having to hunt fancy craft stores for supplies.  

Do you know a child that loves dragons?

Dragon activities like this one are sure to be a hit!   

Your child may also love this homemade dragon cake and homemade dragon pinata.   They’d be fun dragon crafts for kids that are older, or make them for a dragon themed party.  

This dragon craft had my son roaring and smiling as he made his homemade dragon fly over and over again.   Your child is going to love it, too!

Flying Dragon Craft

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Materials Needed:

• empty cardboard roll (4-6 inches long)
• construction paper
• yarn (or heavy string)
• markers
• wiggly eyes
• scissors
• craft glue

Decide what color you want your dragon to be. 

We chose green, but your child can make their cardboard tube dragon whatever color they choose.  They might even want to make it have multiple colors, using a different color for the wings, body, and head.  

Measure the length of your cardboard tube and cut a strip of construction paper that wide so it will cover the tube. 

Glue this paper around the tube.  You could also use clear tape to hold it in place.

Fold a piece of construction paper in half and draw a wing shape on the paper, with the folded edge being where the wing would meet the dragon’s body.  Cut out the wing shape so that when you unfold it, you have 2 wings that are connected.

Glue the wings to the cardboard tube.

Use construction paper to create a tail and a head for the dragon.  For our head we cut a piece that looks a bit like an acorn with 2 small horns. 

Your child may choose to cut a simple circle shape.  Or they may get even more creative when making their paper dragon head.  

Attach the wiggly eyes to the head and use markers to complete the dragon’s face.

Glue the tail and head to the cardboard tube.

Let the glue dry completely before doing the next part.

How to Make a Flying Dragon Toy

Cut 4-5 feet of yarn (or heavy string). 

Fold it in half and loop it over a doorknob so an equal amount hangs on both sides.  You could also hang it from a hook or the knob on a cabinet.  

Thread the loose ends of the yarn through the top of your cardboard dragon so they stick out the bottom.

To make the dragon fly, hold the two ends of the yarn, one in each hand, and pull your hands apart to separate the yarn.

As you move your hands apart, the dragon will fly to the top of the yarn. When you bring your hands back together, the dragon will slide back down.

Dragon STEM Activity 

This simple kids dragon craft is also a wonderful STEM activity. 

The yarn is actually acting like a lever in this activity.

Pulling the yarn pieces apart and to the sides changes the angle of the yarn to the tube.  The yarn, working as a lever, pushes the dragon up. 

When you change the angle of the yarn so it’s back to the center, the dragon slides back down with the help of gravity.

We had so much fun with this flying dragon craft and STEM activity.  I know your child will love it, too.

You may also enjoy:

• Musical STEM Activities
• Design a Boat that Floats
• How to Make Elephant Toothpaste

Our Favorite Craft Materials

Updated from November 2, 2018.

The post Flying Dragon Craft first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

He has always loved car crafts, and Lightning McQueen is his absolute favorite movie. 

This Disney Cars Craft is the perfect mix of the two.  

Like so many boys, my son loves cars.  Actually, he used to be pretty obsessed with them, especially the ones from the Disney movie.  That’s why we’ve done so many car and vehicle activities over the years.

This car craft for kids that love the movie was a huge hit with him.  I know your kids will love it, too.  

And, if your family loves snuggling up with a few classic movies, check out these Lesson Plans for Disney Movies. 

Disney Cars Craft

This craft for the Cars movie would be fun to do at a party or just with your own fan.

Affiliate links provided below.

Materials Needed:

• Cardboard Toilet Paper Roll
• Acrylic Paint
• Construction Paper
• Permanent Markers
• Scissors
• Glue

Start by cutting a rectangle out of the top of the cardboard tube, leaving 1/4 inch on one of the short sides and folding it up.  This will become the car’s windshield where the eyes will be.

Then have your child paint the cardboard tube the color desired.  My son loves Lightning McQueen and couldn’t wait to craft his own, so the red paint started going on pretty quickly.

Let the paint dry completely.  While you’re waiting you might want to try some of these fun learning activities using toy cars.

Once your cardboard tube cars are dry, its time to add wheels.

Cut 4 black circles from construction paper.  We traced around a small roll of tape to make our circles.  

Then cut out 4 smaller white circles and glue them in the centers of the black circles.  These will be the car’s wheels.

Once the paint is dry, glue the 4 wheels in place.

Cut a small rectangle from white paper.  Cut a curved “V” shape at the top to form the eyes.  Then use marker to color the pupils and glue the eyes into place.

We added a small yellow construction paper lightning bolt on each side of our red car. 

Then we used an orange marker to write 95 on the lightning bolt to complete our Lighting McQueen craft. 

We also painted a few other cardboard rolls to create some more favorite characters.

A pair of buck teeth cut from white paper and a brown pipe cleaner as a tow hook created Mater, our favorite tow truck.

And of course we made one yellow, just like the newest race car. 

This simple inspired by Disney Cars Craft was one of my son’s favorites.  I hope your child loves it, too!

If you liked this craft, you’ll also like:

• Craft Stick Mater  by Glued to My Crafts
• Tipped Tractor Cupcakes (and tractor cake) 
• 25 Recycled Crafts for Kids

Originally published July 15, 2017.

The post Simple Cars Craft Inspired by the Movie first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Kids love to experiment and build.  That’s why STEM activities are always so popular.  They give kids a chance to get creative and explore.  Making a marble run with cardboard tubes is an inexpensive hands-on learning activity your child will love.  

We had lots of fun creating marble runs as part of the Inventor’s badge for Brownie Girl Scouts.  We look forward to experimenting with them more in the future.

Creating a cardboard tube marble run would be a fun rainy day activity.  

Marble Run

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Materials Needed:

• Large Piece of Cardboard or Foam Board 
• Cardboard Tubes
• Masking Tape or Painter’s Tape
• Duct Tape (Kids love this printed duct tape.)
• Disposable Plastic Cup
• Scissors
• Marbles

Secure the plastic cup to the bottom of your cardboard.  I used a bit of hot glue to do this, but you can also use duct tape.

If desired, label an area at the top of the board as start.  This is where the marble run should begin.

Challenge your child to use the cardboard tubes to get the marble from “start” and into the plastic cup.

It’s important to experiment and test each section that is added. Are the marbles flying off the end?  Try positioning the tubes differently.  Are they getting stuck?  Try tilting the tubes downward more.  Trial and error is all part of the engineering process.  

Tips:

• Using masking tape when first positioning the tubes makes it easier to move them if needed.  Once they are in place secure them with duct tape, which holds them better when running marbles through the tubes over and over again.
• Cardboard tubes can be cut at angles, made shorter, or even cut in half length-wise.  Challenge your child to experiment with what works best.

Extensions to the Activity:

• Cut all the tubes in half length-wise so they are open.  This will increase the challenge.
• Have your child make 2 paths to the cup instead of just 1.
• Use a stopwatch to time how long it takes the marble to land in the cup.  Challenge your child to create a new marble run which is faster.

Those Legos aren’t just decorating the floor; they’re there for a reason.  Kids need the opportunity to be creative and build.  Stem activities like making a marble run give them a chance to do just that.

More STEM activities:

• STEM Challenge: Design a Boat That Floats
• Build a Craft Stick Catapult 
• Summer STEM Activities for Kids from Kitchen Counter Chronicles
• Build a Simple Geoboard 

The post Create a Cardboard Tube Marble Run first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

This year The Lorax stole my son’s heart.

Right away he asked if we could make a diorama for it and a few other favorite Seuss books.  (He actually called it a “box thing,” but I knew what he meant.)

This simple cardboard tube The Lorax craft would be a fun craft for Dr. Seuss’s birthday, or use it as an Earth Day craft in April.

The Lorax is one of Dr. Seuss’s brilliant books that has a message.  It would be perfect to read with the kids for Earth Day.

I think the Lorax himself would approve of this recycled craft.

Cardboard Tube Lorax Craft

Materials Needed:

• Cardboard Tube
• Orange and Yellow Construction Paper
• Googly Eyes
• Scissors and Glue

After measuring the toilet paper tube,  cut orange construction paper to the correct height and glue it around the tube.  (If you don’t want to use a toilet paper tube, you can easily cut a paper towel tube down to length!)

Draw a circle (2 inches in diameter) on orange paper to become The Lorax’s head.

Also cut out two orange arms, yellow eye brows and a mustache from construction paper.

Glue all the items into place (like the picture above).  Finally, add some googly eyes.

Truffula Trees Craft

Of course you can’t have a scene with The Lorax without some colorful Truffula trees!

To make your trees, snip pipe cleaners into various heights and then simply push one end into a colorful pom-pom.

We used our cardboard tube Lorax and Truffula trees to make a diorama.

You can do this by covering the bottom of a shoe box with blue construction paper and adding green paper to one side as grass.

Tape the Truffula trees in place to create a happy home for your cardboard tube Lorax.

My son also added a pond with a red fish and blue fish.  (Can you guess which Dr. Seuss book he was thinking of?) He has plans to make Horton and a few other favorite characters as well.

I love watching kids get so excited about a project!

If you liked this Lorax craft, you’ll also enjoy:

• Lorax-Inspired Mocktail
• Funtastic Dr. Seuss Inspired Math Activities 
• Dr. Seuss Activities for Older Kids
• The Cat in the Hat Craft 

The post The Lorax Craft: Great for Earth Day! first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

You can have fun using cotton balls to make this adorable cardboard tube sheep craft.

This fuzzy sheep craft would be cute as part of a farm unit or as an Easter craft.

But we think sheep are so cute, you could really do this one any time of the year.

Cardboard Tube Sheep Craft

Materials Needed:

• Empty Cardboard Tube
• Cotton Balls
• Black Pipe Cleaners
• Black Craft Foam
• Wiggly Eyes
• Hole Punch
• Hot Glue
• Craft Glue & Paintbrush

Start making your cardboard tube sheep by cutting a toilet paper tube in half.   You could also cut a 2 inch portion from a paper towel tube.

Use a hole puncher to make four holes on the bottom of our tube, 2 on each end.  These will be for the legs.

Thread a 2 1/2 inch long piece of black pipe cleaner through each pair of holes to create the sheep’s legs.   Secure it with a piece of tape inside the tube.

We crumpled up some paper and stuffed it inside our tube.  This step isn’t necessary, but it will help give you a little something extra to glue the sheep’s head to later on.

Cut a face shape from black craft foam and use the hot glue gun to carefully glue it to the edge of the cardboard tube and crumpled paper.

Now it’s time to give your sheep some wool.

Using a paintbrush have your child  coat the cardboard tube with white school glue and then add cotton balls.

When doing the ends of the tube you will need to pull the cotton balls apart a bit to help them spread more.  Glue them to the cardboard tube’s edge and the crumpled paper that is stuck inside.

Finally, add wiggly eyes to the sheep’s face and let the sheep craft dry.

Want to make a baby to go with your big sheep?   It’s super easy!

Just cut a small face from black craft foam, glue it to one cotton ball, and add itty-bitty google eyes.

This fuzzy little cardboard tube sheep craft is fun to do in the spring or any time of the year.  And once it is dry, your child will have fun playing with their creation.

You will also like:

• Pom-Pom Chick Craft
• Dog Crafts for Kids
• Weaving Activities for Kids 

Our Favorite Kid Craft Materials

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Here is a simple kid craft for all those American Girl Doll’s that are ready to embark on their own camping adventure.   Follow the directions for a  doll camp fire and be ready for lots of pretend play.

Doll Camp Fire Craft

Materials Needed:

• Toilet Paper Roll
• Scissors
• Clear Tape or Glue
• Red and Yellow Tissue Paper

1.  Cut a toilet paper tube in half length-wise.

2.  Roll each of the two halves into “logs” and use clear tape to hold it together.  (If your kids are more patient you can use glue, but mine were impatient for that camp fire!)

3.  Use scissors to cut a notch in the top of one log that is just big enough to set the other log into.

4.  Tape the two logs together.

5.  Make a 3 inch wide square from red tissue paper and a 2 inch one out of yellow.  Lay the yellow on top of the red and pinch the centers together.

6.  Cut a small hole in the top log and squish the tissue paper “flames” into place.

Your fire is ready for camp songs and S’mores!

Of course, what fun is a camp fire if you’re all alone?

Once the doll had her fire going, my son’s stuffed Baby Tiger asked for one too.

This simple American Girl Doll Camp Fire is perfect for pretend play.

Looking for more kid crafts?

• Awesome Camp Crafts
• DIY Sandals for 14″ Wellie Wisher Doll
• Beautiful Flower Crafts

The post Doll Camp Fire Tutorial first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.