Cardboard Tube & Tissue Paper Craft

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Toilet paper tubes are simple starts to some cute crafts.

This week I decided to see what we could do with the tubes when they were cut into smaller pieces.  I cut a few into 1/4 inch rings, flattening them into oval shapes as I did so.

To me they looked a little like a fish body…  I cut one of the rings in half and sat it next to an oval – Voila` – a tail.

The little ovals also looked a little like flower petals…  And so some craft ideas started to form.

I grabbed the glue, some pipe cleaners, construction paper, and a handful of cut-out circles that had come from some paint samples.  Then I called the kids in for craft time.

I showed them both how to arrange the rings to make flowers and fish.  Then I poured some glue onto a plastic lid for them to dip the tube strips in, and they got to work.

That’s when my daughter challenged me.  The flowers were looking nice, but she thought they needed some color.

Hmm….

Some tissue paper scraps caught my eye, and pretty soon we were crumpling pink tissue paper up and gluing the pieces into the flower’s petals.

Circles cut from paint samples and a couple green pipe cleaners for stems, made her flowers complete.  Then she added a couple lady bug stickers I found.

toilet paper tube craft

Little guy opted to color his fish with blue tissue paper scraps.  After making a few fish, and drawing some water around them, he was finished.  I suggested using a pipe cleaner like a fishing hook, but he decided maybe a lady bug should visit them instead.  (Fish food??)cardboard tube craft

 

Once again, I love how they challenged me to make the craft better, and how cute their ideas turned out.

 

Check out these other recycled craft ideas:

Comments

  3. This is something my girls will still love to do at their ages. We have plenty of spare toilet tubes stored up too. They never want to recycle any because they “have plans for them.” This will be something good to use them with. Thanks for sharing!

  4. You always come up with the cutest crafts! There’s a link to this post on SITS today…have you seen it yet? Can’t wait to make this craft with my girls!

    • Thank you so much! 🙂
      Yes, I saw it just before I checked comments – made my day!

      Hope your girls enjoy the craft as much as we did! (Ours are decorating our pantry door right now.)

  5. What an adorable and easy craft. I taught preschool and had an artsy crafty home when my boys were young and toilet paper rolls are so useful 🙂 (SITS)

  7. Love this idea! I have so many tissue paper scraps, and this is a great way to use them. Guess I know what we’ll be doing the next time my kids ask for a “project”!

    Found you through SITS. Have a great weekend!

    • So glad to help! 🙂 I know people at birthday parties are probably thinking I’m crazy when I keep all the ripped tissue paper scraps, but this is one reason why!

      Can’t wait to read your mud day post!

  8. How fun! And, easy too, because I have all the supplies! Thanks for the ideas and congrats on the feature on SITS! 🙂
    ~Andrea

    • Thanks!
      I think using cut up strips of the tubes could really provide endless possibilities for older kids to explore.

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