7 Things to Do with Loo Rolls

You might be surprised how much mileage you can get from a simple cardboard tube. Here are seven activities to try with your little ones, one for each day of the week.

1. Shape Stamping

Reshape four or five rolls into different shapes - square, rectangle, triangle, heart and circle work well. Dip the ends into different coloured paint and let your child stamp away. Great for making cards to send to grandparents.

2. Create a Creature

Loo roll creatures are quick and easy to pull together. Bunnies, bugs or crazy monster creations - whatever takes their fancy. You will need some coloured card and paper, googly eyes and any other decorations you have to hand. Set everything out on a tray with some glue and let their imagination lead the way.

3. Cars, Rockets and Things That Fly

Wrap a roll in coloured paper and cut out four rocket wings. Make a cone of card for the top of the rocket, thread it onto a piece of string, hook the string up tightly, and blast off. Racing cars work well too - cut out wheels from card and glue on.

4. Bird Feeder

Cover the outside of a toilet paper roll with peanut butter, then roll it in birdseed until well coated. Thread a piece of twine through and hang it somewhere ideally out of reach of squirrels. Great for encouraging little ones to watch and spot garden birds.

5. Seedling Planter

Make four cuts about a third of the way up the roll, then fold the cut sections inward like closing a box. Fill with light potting compost and add seeds. Sit on a sunny windowsill, keep watered, and watch the magic happen. When seedlings are strong enough, transfer pot and all directly into the garden - the cardboard will decompose in the soil.

6. Flying Fish

A slightly more ambitious project but lovely to make together. Wrap a roll in coloured tissue paper squares, add a tissue paper tail, and hang on string. Beautiful as decorations and endlessly fascinating for little ones to watch move in the breeze.

7. Kaleidoscope

A paper towel roll works best here, but a loo roll will do. Line the inside with a strip of reflective card or tin foil, add a circle of coloured tissue paper across one end, and look through the other. Children love the patterns they can create simply by rotating it in the light.

If you would like to come and see how we bring these kinds of activities to life at Little Starlings, book a tour and come and say hello.