RECYCLED DIY TOYS YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE

Learn how to make these easy toys with items you already have at home.

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Save cash and tap into your creativity while being environmentally friendly with these fun and easy-to-make toys using recycled materials.

Make The Perfect Tin-Can Toss
This is the perfect game to play in the backyard and it only takes a few minutes to make with recycled tin cans.

The supplies you need

• 10 tin cans (cleaned and with the labels and lids removed.)
• Pencil
• Patterned Paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers
• Tennis Ball (for throwing.)

Instructions
1. Lay a tin onto a piece of patterned paper to measure its size, then mark it off with a pencil (make sure the paper is long enough to wrap around the tin).
2. Cut out 10 strips of paper.
3. Apply glue to the paper, wrap it around each tin, and leave them to dry.
4 Number each with your marker.
5 Now you are ready to play.

How to play the game
1. Stack the tins in the shape of a pyramid.
2. Stand at a distance and allow each player to take turns throwing the tennis ball at the tins.
3. The player who knocks down the most cans win the game.

Safety tip
Place thick pieces of masking tape along the edges of the tin. This will protect little fingers from getting cut by the sharp edges.

Toilet-roll tiger puppet
Fancy a puppet show? Recycle toilet-paper rolls and bottle caps for this fun toy!

The supplies you need

• Scissors
• Glue
• Two toilet-paper rolls
• Craft paint Black marker
• Paint brush
• Pieces of white, pink and yellow paper
• Four plastic bottle lids
• String
• Wooden stick, chopstick or ice-cream stick

Instructions
1. Cut 1/3 off one toilet-paper roll to make the head of the tiger. Paint the head and let it dry.
2. Use the rest of the toilet-paper roll to cut out two oval ears and a long tail.
3. Paint the ears and tails and let them dry.
4. Cut out small circles on the head and glue in the ears.
5. Cut out teeth on the white paper and glue them to the / mouth.
6. On the pink paper, cut out the tongue and glue it to the mouth.
7. Use your black marker to draw the eyes and nose.
8. To make the body, paint the other toilet-paper roll and let it dry.
9. Use a black marker to create patterns of your choice on the body and tail.
10. Then glue the tail and face to the body.
11.Cut four equal lengths of string to make the legs.
12.Glue one end of the string to a plastic lid and the other end of the same string to the bottom of the body. Repeat the steps with the remaining three strings and let them dry.
13. Then cut two long pieces of string.
14. Glue one end of the first string to the top of the tiger's head.
15. Glue the other piece of string to the top of the tiger's body (near the tail).
16. Then tie the other ends of both pieces of strings around your wooden stick.

And there you have it... Your play date with your little one is now engaging for you too and costs next to nothing. Happy playing!

TEXT BY: Tina Reddell

Images: Gallo Images/ Getty Images