aluminum can telephones

Time needed: 10 minutes
Skill needed: hammer
materials needed:

• string
• 2 aluminum cans
• hammer
• nail

This is a classic! I think every American kid for the past 4 generations has made one of these can telephones. The amazing thing is, they actually kind of work (as long as you hold the string tight)! (Although it doesn't make much of a difference if my kids are yelling into it anyway!)

Instructions:

1. wash out the cans.
2. Using the hammer and nail, poke a hole in the center top of each can.
3. poke the string through the top of the hole and tie a knot.
4. repeat on the other side.
   
5. play telephone!
   

Aluminum can stilts

Time needed: 15 minutes
Skills needed: hammering
Materials needed:

• 2 clean cans
• scissors
• string
• hammer 
• nail

This is a classic. Aluminum can stilts. So classic, they were once tin can stilts. start with 2 large cans. Since these are for my preschooler, I didn't use the really big number 10 cans, but I used some canned peach cans. Using a hammer and nail, poke a hole on each side of each can near the top. Loop strings through the holes and tie the string in a knot.
Make sure each string is the same length. Then, let them enjoy it! My daughter loved these stilts!

Creating a Traffic Light to play Red Light, Green Light.

This is a fairly easy toy to create.

Materials Needed:

• Old Bottled Water Bottle
• Old Cereal Box
• Sheet of White Copy Paper
  
• Either Red, Yellow, and Green Marker
• Or Red, Yellow, and Green Duct Tape
• Or Red, Yellow, and Green Construction paper.
  

Tools Needed:

• Ruler
• Tape
• Scissors
• Optional: Some circular object to trace.
  

Here are the steps to take.

1. Open up the cereal/cardboard box

Measure out enough cardboard to surround your water bottle.

Then measure the length out.  Be sure to leave enough for the bottom.

Use the water bottle to make sure your measurements are accurate.

Once you cut out the cardboard, cut small loops in the top that will then go around the lid of the bottle.

This is what it should look like of the final cut out pieces.

Then on a piece of paper, you should position the red, yellow, and green pieces of paper.  This is done on a normal computer sheet of paper.  You could also use different color duct tapes.

Then cut the paper and secure it to the bottle top.

Then use a circular top/yogurt container, or just draw 3 circles to then cut out for the traffic light.

This is what the bottle should look like.

Then place the bottle in the cardboard and surround the bottle with cardboard pieces.

You made your own Stop light out of recycled goods.  Now it is time to enjoy it!  Play red light, green light.  Use it to get the kids to pick up toys.  Have fun.