Latest news, food, business, travel, sport, Tips and Tricks...

Recycled Craft: Wrapping Tube Track

Wrapping Tube Track

Total Time Needed: 2-3 Hours

With just a few snips here and some duct tape there, an empty wrapping-paper tube revs back to life as a double track -- the ideal venue for racing balls or toy cars, and one that's perfectly engineered for solo play.

Materials

  • Empty wrapping-paper or mailing tube with a wide opening
  • Colored duct tape
  • Yardstick or ruler
  • Marker
  • Scissors, or utility knife if using a mailing tube
  • Masking tape

Instructions

  1. Starting at one end, wrap duct tape around the entire length of the tube to reinforce it.
  2. Using a yardstick and marker, draw a straight line from one end of the tube to the other; repeat on the opposite side. Cut the tube in half along these lines.
  3. Cover the inside of each half with long pieces of duct tape, overlapping the edges as you lay down the strips.
  4. Set the halves side by side and anchor them together with small pieces of masking tape. Attach the halves with long strips of duct tape over the front and back seams. Have your child set two cars or balls at one end of the track, tip up the track, and watch them go!

//