Plastic straws are a familiar item in daily life, however, after use, they are often thrown away and become plastic waste. Instead of throwing them away, parents can take advantage of plastic straws to make toys for their babies, helping to protect the environment while also helping them develop creativity and imagination. In this article, EQUO will share with parents 10 ideas for making toys from plastic straws that are simple and easy to make. Parents, please follow along!
1. Airplane
Airplanes made from straws are a fun and easy toy that you can make with your children. The ingredients needed to prepare are very simple, including:
- Colorful straws.
- Plastic bottle.
- Table tennis ball.
- Pushpins.
- Stapler.
- Drag.
Steps:
- Cut off the bottom of the plastic bottle to create the fuselage. Next, cut another small piece of plastic to make the plane's claw.
- Use a pin to cross two straws together to make an airplane wing. You can use different colors for the two straws to make your plane more lively.
- Use a stapler to attach the two ends of the plastic strip above to two other straws. Next, attach them to the body of the plastic bottle.
- Use the remaining curved straw to make the tail of the plane. You can use a pin or glue to attach this straw to the body of the plastic bottle.
- Attach a ping pong ball to the bottom of a plastic bottle to make the top of an airplane.
Source: Internet
>> Read More:
- Plant-Based Biodegradable Straws
- 20+ Recycled Plastic Straw Ideas: Simple and Easy to Do
- What Are Plastic Straws? Pros, Cons - Hazards, Bans, Recycling
- Are Microplastics Harmful? How To Avoid Them In Your Home
- The Importance And Process Of Recycling Plastic Waste
2. Lanterns
Lanterns made from plastic straws are a traditional Vietnamese folk toy, made from simple, easy-to-find materials. Making lanterns from plastic straws is also very simple, you can do it with your children to create beautiful and meaningful lanterns.
Prepare materials:
- Colorful plastic straws.
- Glue.
- Zinc wire.
- Candles or LED lights.
- Other decorative items (flowers, leaves, stars, etc.).
Making:
- Cut plastic straws into equal lengths, depending on the size of the lantern you want to make. Normally, the length of the plastic straw will be about 15-20cm.
- Use glue to join the plastic straw segments together into a cylinder. You can combine them in circles, hexagons, squares, etc. depending on your preference.
- Use wire covered with straws to make a hanging rope.
- Use glue to decorate lanterns with other decorative items such as flowers, leaves, stars, etc. You can be creative to create unique and impressive lanterns.
- If using candles, attach them to the center of the lantern. If using LED lights, attach the LED lights to the location you want.
Source: Internet
3. Funny worm
The funny worm is shaped like a real worm, can be long or short in a variety of colors, often decorated with eyes, a nose, a mouth, and other details that look appealing to the baby.
Ingredient:
- Colorful plastic straws.
- Markers.
- Drag.
Making:
- Cut off the end of the straw, only take the end with the elastic straw.
- Use scissors to cut parallel lines at the elastic part of the straw, about 1cm apart.
- Cut the parallel lines you just cut in half, creating short pieces.
- Insert the remaining excess tube inside the elastic tube, forming the worm's head.
- Draw the caterpillar's eyes, nose, and mouth with a felt-tip pen.
Source: Internet
4. Seesaw
A seesaw is a familiar toy for children, helping children move, and develop hand-eye coordination and balance. With simple plastic straws, you can make unique seesaws for your baby, both for fun and for learning.
Ingredient:
- Plastic straw.
- Drag.
- Candle glue gun.
Making:
- Cut the straw into 4 pieces 15cm long, 2 pieces 5cm long, and 6 elastic straw pieces.
- Join four 15cm straw segments together with a hot glue gun to make the seesaw body.
- Join 2 pieces of elastic straw to make a handle, and do the same for the second handle.
- Glue 2 5cm segments to the remaining 2 elastic segments to make the rocking legs.
- Glue the handles and legs to the body of the seesaw.
Source: Internet
5. Homemade raft
With just a few straws, scissors, and a hot glue gun, you can make cute rafts for your kids!
Ingredient:
- Plastic straw.
- Drag.
- Candle glue gun.
Making:
- Cut 7 pieces of straw 20cm long, 2 pieces 10cm long, 1 piece 15cm long, and 1 small rectangular piece of paper.
- Use hot glue to glue 7 20cm segments to 2 10cm segments to form a rectangle.
- Punch 2 holes in the paper and pierce the 15cm long straw bar, fix it in place, then stick it to the raft you just made.
Source: Internet
6. Unique beach sandals
As Tet approaches, you can make unique and pretty beach sandals from straws, which will help protect the environment and bring your children enjoyment when traveling.
Prepare:
- Colorful straws.
- Hot stick glue.
- Drag.
- Paperboard.
- Pencil.
Making:
- Cut 2 straws and use hot glue to glue them together to form sandal straps.
- Measure the size of your baby's feet, use cardboard to draw the shoe sole according to the measured size, and cut the shoe sole along the drawn line.
- Cut straws of different sizes and glue them to the cut paper to make the sole of the slipper.
- Use hot glue to stick the straps of the sandals to the soles of the sandals.
- You can further decorate the sandals with other motifs, such as flowers, leaves, etc.
Source: Internet
7. Creative picture frame
With a little ingenuity and creativity, you and your child can turn discarded straws into unique, beautiful, and environmentally friendly picture frames.
Prepare:
- Straw.
- Hardcover.
- Drag.
- Hot stick glue.
Making:
- Cut the cardboard into a rectangular frame about 2cm wide.
- Choose straws with eye-catching colors and cut them into 2cm pieces that fit the frame.
- Glue the straw sections to the prepared frame and decorate with flowers and leaves to complete.
Source: Internet
8. Refrigerator
If you want to make a handmade gift for your baby, try making a toy refrigerator from straws. This is not only an interesting toy but also helps your baby develop creativity and thinking skills. When parents make a refrigerator, children will learn how to assemble the details and practice manual dexterity. In addition, children can also be creative with different colors and patterns to create a refrigerator according to their preferences.
Prepare:
- Straw.
- Hot stick glue.
- Drag.
Making:
- Arrange 10 straws in a row, and use hot glue to attach 2 other straws to the ends to form a rectangular frame. Cut off the excess straw to create a 15cm long refrigerator body. Do the same to make two more rectangular straws.
- Join three rectangular straw panels together to complete the refrigerator body.
- Cut straw sections equal in length to the width of the refrigerator body. Glue a piece of newly cut straw to ⅓ of the cabinet body to separate the freezer compartment.
- Join 9 straw sections together into a rectangle to create a base for the freezer, then use hot glue to attach it to the refrigerator body. Do the same to make the top and bottom of the refrigerator.
- Join straw sections the length of the freezer and cooler together to make the refrigerator door and glue it to the refrigerator body.
- Use straws of different colors to decorate the refrigerator.
Source: Internet
9. Handmade bracelet
Take time with your baby to make handmade toy bracelets. This will be an extremely interesting and useful activity, helping your baby develop his or her creativity and at the same time strengthen family bonds.
Prepare:
- Straw.
- Hot stick glue.
- Pencil sharpener.
Making:
- Use a pencil sharpener to shave the straw into a spiral shape.
- Then, you just need to glue the two ends of the straw together to complete a very cool bracelet.
Source: Internet
10. Christmas tree
For children who like to make toys with straws at home with their parents, Christmas trees are a great choice because they are simple, easy to make, and beautiful.
Prepare:
- Straw.
- Hot stick glue.
- Drag.
Making:
- Use candle glue to stick 2 straws vertically and create a pine tree trunk.
- Cut the straws into pieces of different lengths.
- Attach the straw sections to the tree trunk for short to long straws to complete.
- Decorate your Christmas tree from straws with a variety of accessories and stickers to add sparkle.
Source: Internet
There are many types of toys made from plastic straws, from simple toys to more complex toys. Parents can choose ideas that are appropriate to their child's age and interests and do them together to strengthen family bonds.
EQUO natural straw collection: The perfect environmentally friendly solution to replace plastic straws
All EQUO straw products are made from natural ingredients such as rice, grass, sugarcane bagasse, coffee grounds, and coconut, etc., and are 100% free of plastic or other toxic chemicals. These straws can completely decompose in the environment in 3-6 months, not only protecting the environment but also ensuring consumer safety, suitable for all types of drinks. EQUO is proud to provide all of the above solutions to replace traditional plastic straws, contributing to reducing the amount of inorganic waste, especially plastic straws, which can take several hundred years to completely decompose.
- Grass straws: Made from grass, with natural green color, is an environmentally friendly solution.
- Rice straws: Manufactured from 100% rice starch and tapioca starch. Colored from vegetable juice and biodegradable, safe for health.
- Coffee straws: Made from coffee grounds, completely plastic-free, not only environmentally friendly but also have the characteristic aroma of coffee.
- Sugarcane straw: Made from sugarcane bagasse, has a light sweet aroma, biodegradable, and does not change the flavor of the drink.
- Coconut straws: Manufactured from 100% fermented coconut water, has good elasticity, insoluble in water.
To refer to detailed information on the above products you can visit:
>> https://shopequo.com/collections
Plastic straws are familiar items in life, but once used, they can become a great source of raw materials to create creative toys for children. From airplanes, lanterns, and fun worms to seesaws, homemade rafts, unique beach sandals, creative picture frames, toy refrigerators, handmade bracelets, and Christmas trees, each idea has something to offer, not only gives your baby unique playing fun but also encourages their creativity and dexterity skills. Join EQUO to explore and implement these ideas to create memorable moments for your baby.