Paper Towel Roll Crafts

In this Article:

Paper towel roll crafts are fun and easy go-to projects for a rainy afternoon spent indoors with the kids. You'll have a creative craft and a great lesson for your little ones on green living; fun, and education all at once!

How To Make Paper Towel Roll Beads

You don't have to spend a lot of money on beads to let your kids have some fun making their own jewelry. All you need are some empty paper towel rolls and a little creativity to make fun crafts with paper towel rolls!

Adult supervision required.

What You Need:

Bounty Paper Towel Rolls
Bag or Storage Bin
Safety Scissors
Paint
Paintbrushes
Glitter
Foam Stickers
Glue
Tissue Paper
Yarn
Bounty Paper Towels

Instructions:

Step One: Collect several empty Bounty paper towel rolls

Involve your children in the process by having them help save each roll in the bag, and talk about the fun and easy craft project you'll be doing once the bag is full. It's also a great opportunity to discuss the importance of recycling!

Step Two: Making Beads

Once you have several rolls collected, it's time to make some beads. Have your kids paint each roll, making several different colored ones. Carefully stand them up to dry on a Bounty paper towel. You will probably need to paint a second coat once the first one is dry.

Step Three: Cut and Widen Tubes

When the paint is dry, cut each roll down into 1" wide tubes. An adult will need to help with this step. Let your kids have fun decorating the cut pieces. Have them paint patterns with glue and then sprinkle glitter on top. They can also decorate with markers, foam stickers, or small tissue paper squares.

When you have a whole bunch of paper towel roll beads complete, your kids can string them on the yarn to make colorful necklaces and bracelets.

How To Make A Model Rocket

Let’s make a paper towel roll rocket! You can color and design your rocket ship however you'd like, and you might want to make several so that you have a fleet of them. Both making and playing with these rocket ships will unleash your kid’s creativity and give you hours of fun.

Adult supervision required.

What You'll Need:

Bounty Paper Towel Tube
Construction Paper
Safety Scissors
Tape
Bounty Paper Towels

Instructions:

1. Wrap construction paper around the roll and secure it in place with tape. You can use several colors if you'd like, making stripes around the body of your rocket ship. Cut four slits about two inches long at the end of the roll.
   
2. Cut two triangles, around four inches long and three inches high, out of construction paper. Cut a slit in one triangle from the top down, and cut a slit in the other from the bottom up.
   
3. Slide the triangle with the bottom slit into two of the slits on opposite sides of the paper towel roll. Slide the other triangle into the other two slits. This forms the base of the rocket ship.
   
4. Cut a four-inch circle of construction paper and shape it into a cone, taping the edges together. Tape this on the top of the rocket ship for its nose.
   
5. Color and decorate your rocket ship as desired, with shapes, words, numbers, or names.

Encourage your kids to play with their rocket ships, imagining that they’re going into outer space and exploring new worlds. The sky's the limit!

How To Make A Homemade Kaleidoscope

Recycle your paper towel tubes by making a paper towel roll kaleidoscope. It's fun and easy, and it's something kids will enjoy making.

Adult supervision required.

What You'll Need:

Pen
Ruler
Clear Plastic Report Cover
Safety Scissors
Bounty Paper Towel Tube, Cut So It's 8” Long
Squares of Black Construction Paper, Plastic Wrap, and Waxed Paper, All Cut Into 4” Squares
Toothpick
Rubber Band
Tape
Confetti, colored beads, sequins, small plastic shapes, gold stars, or other embellishments
Colorful Wrapping Paper

Instructions:

Using the pen and ruler, draw a rectangle, about 8” x 4” on the report cover. Use the scissors to cut it out, and then draw three lines lengthwise on it, with one line close to the edge.

Fold the plastic along the lines to make an elongated triangular tube, with a thin strip along the one edge folding up on the outside of the triangle. Tape the triangle closed by placing tape along the edge lengthwise.

Put the plastic triangular shape into the paper towel roll lengthwise.

Cut a circle of construction paper that is the exact size of the circle at the end of the paper towel tube, and tape it to the end of the tube.

Use the toothpick to poke a hole in the center of the circle.

Press the square of plastic wrap into the tube's other end so that it is like a little pouch. Place the confetti, sequins, beads, or plastic pieces into the pouch.

Use the rubber band to secure the waxed paper square over the plastic pouch to keep all the little pieces in. Cut the corners off the squares. Tape the wrapping paper on the outside of the tube.

Your paper towel roll kaleidoscope is now ready to use. Hold it up to the light and look through the hole while turning the tube. You'll be amazed by what you see!

How To Make a Rainstick

This simple rain stick craft brings the outdoors inside. It also provides a learning experience for little ones. Creating this craft may conjure up happy memories of your own childhood!

Adult supervision required.

What You Need:

Bounty Paper Towel Roll
1/2 Cup of Uncooked Rice
Crayons, Markers, and/or Colored Pencils
Stickers (Optional)
Liquid Glue and Glitter (Optional)
Masking Tape or 2 Rubber Bands
Several Sheets of Tissue Paper
Safety Scissors
Bounty Paper Towels

Instructions:

1. Help your child cut a square out of tissue paper. This will cover one end of the paper towel tube. Repeat with several more layers of tissue paper, about three per end.
2. Using a rubber band or masking tape, help your child secure about three layers of tissue paper squares to cover one end of the paper towel roll. Help your child pour the uncooked rice into the open end of the tube. Cover the other end of the tube with tissue paper squares.
3. Help your child decorate the rain stick with markers, crayons, colored pencils, glue, glitter, and stickers. If you have leftover tissue paper, help your child cut out shapes and glue them to the rain stick.
4. Show your child how the sound of the rice moving around in the paper towel roll is like the rain falling outside. Clean up any mess with Bounty paper towels!