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Kids get hooked on crafts with toilet paper rolls! Idea collection for elementary school students

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
A Vocaloid producer who is also a music writerAraki Jakkan
I’ve worked in a variety of roles—regardless of pro or amateur settings—including live event PA, cameraman for video and photography, restaurant staff, and logistics center staff. I now spend my days as a part-time writer. I’ve contributed to music and manga websites with feature/review articles, and wrote the liner notes included as a bonus for 1st PLACE Inc.’s “IA SUPER BEST.” As for my music background, I started playing guitar in junior high and focused on band activities during my school years. For over 15 years since then, up to the present, I’ve continued releasing original tracks as a Vocaloid producer. My areas of expertise are Japanese rock, Vocaloid, and manga.

Many of you are probably wondering what to make for your summer vacation craft project.

So here, we’re sharing fun craft ideas you can make using a familiar material found at home: plastic wrap cores (cardboard tubes).

We’ve gathered lots of projects—like a lint-roller-style cleaner, hanging toys, and coin clappers—that you can play with and learn from once they’re finished.

All of them use easily sourced materials and have simple instructions.

Use this as a guide to get creative with your kids and make a one-of-a-kind original piece together!

Kids Get Hooked on Crafts with Toilet Paper Roll Cores! Idea Collection for Elementary Schoolers (21–30)

Spinning Drive

[Super Easy] A DIY toy you can make with a kitchen paper roll core!

Spinning Drive

“Kurukuru Drive” is a toy that lets you use a paper towel roll as a road and drive a car along it.

It’s an irresistible idea for kids who love vehicles! First, sketch a road on the paper towel core.

Don’t forget to draw a start and a finish.

Once the drawing is done, color it in.

It’s even better if you add things like traffic lights and houses—it makes it feel more like real driving.

Finally, draw a car on a piece of plastic (vinyl) sized to fit the road’s width, color it, and wrap it around the paper towel core—that’s it! Line it up at the starting point and spin it to drive toward the goal!

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pen holder

Cute Masking! Wrap Core Pen Holder | How to Make a Pen Holder | LIMIA

pen holder

A perfect idea for a summer vacation independent project is making a pen holder.

If you use a plastic wrap core, you can easily make it with materials you already have at home.

Decorate it with colorful origami paper or fabric, and you’ll have a one-of-a-kind pen holder.

Every time you use it, the fun memories of crafting will come back to you.

It’ll make you look forward to the new school term, too.

With your very own pen holder, your studies are sure to go more smoothly! You’ll also learn the importance of recycling—two birds with one stone.

Everyone, give it a try!

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Let’s try making musical instruments from around the world

[Latin America & Education] Try it at Home: Let’s Make Musical Instruments from Around the World! [Rainstick]

Let's try making musical instruments from around the world

Let’s make a rainstick, a musical instrument from around the world that sounds like falling rain.

Prepare toothpicks, an empty plastic wrap tube, rubber bands, beads, fabric scraps, nail clippers, a hole punch or awl, and glue.

Start by making spiral-shaped holes along the tube.

It can be slippery, so be careful while punching the holes.

Insert toothpicks into the holes.

Use the nail clippers to trim any parts of the toothpicks that stick out, then apply glue over them to secure.

Cover one end of the tube with fabric and fasten it with a rubber band.

Pour beads in from the other end, then cover that end with fabric and fasten it with a rubber band in the same way.

Decorate the tube, and you’re done.

It’s a rainstick that produces the sound of rain or waves—give it a try!

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Masking tape cutter

I tried making a masking tape cutter using a plastic wrap core and cardboard 😊

Masking tape cutter

Here’s an idea for a masking tape cutter you can make using a plastic wrap core and cardboard.

Masking tapes tend to pile up, but with this idea you can organize plenty of them together.

It’s very simple to make: shape the cardboard into a box to match the length of the wrap core, then attach supports on the left and right for the core to rest on.

Use the cutting edge from the plastic wrap, too, to finish it as a cutter.

If you decorate the side opposite the blade with cardboard, it will also serve as a cover to hide the masking tapes.

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Masking tape storage spindle

33 / How to make core wraps / masking tape storage / recycling

Masking tape storage spindle

For those who can’t resist buying cute-patterned masking tape and are now struggling to store their growing collection, here’s a recommended idea: use a plastic wrap core to make a masking tape organizer.

Cut thick paper, colored paper, or origami paper to a diameter larger than the masking tape, glue the pieces together, and firmly attach them to one end of the wrap core with wood glue or similar—done! Masking tapes tend to scatter even when packed in a box, but if you thread them onto this core and place it in a box, they won’t get jumbled.

The number you can store depends on the length of the core, so you might want to make several!

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