A simple yet amazing craft using paper cups! An idea that’s also great for independent research projects.

Gumball machine

[DIY] I tried making a handmade gummy gacha machine! Six kinds of gacha with various colorful gummies!? ~Milkids Club Saorin~ DIY-arranged gumball machine

You know those gumball machines you often see in department stores and arcades? There’s actually a way to make one using paper cups.

First, cut a square out of the rim area of a paper cup.

Doesn’t it start to look like the part where the gum comes out? Next, use a plastic cup to create the section that holds the gumballs.

Combine the two and you’re done.

If you want a more authentic look, cut out pieces from a gum package and stick them onto the plastic cup section.

It will look just like a dedicated machine.

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Cute crafts for the kitchen

Great for free craft time too! 'Cute Crafts in the Kitchen for Elementary School Kids' (Gakken) – children, parents and kids, DIY, at-home activities

This is a craft project where you use everyday materials like paper cups, paper napkins, and water balloons to make small, play-kitchen-style items.

The book features recipe-style crafts focused on cute sweets such as ice cream, cupcakes, and pudding, making it feel as fun as flipping through a cookbook.

One especially noteworthy method is making a dome-shaped cup by pasting paper napkins onto a water balloon, letting it dry, and then popping the balloon.

Add toppings made from felt or origami to finish it off so it looks like a real dessert.

You can also customize paper plates and drink cups to create displays that look like a charming little shop.

It’s a visually delightful craft that sparks creativity.

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mutō

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A flying octopus? Tako-copter

A flying octopus? A toy like a bamboo-copter made from a paper cup: the 'TacoCopter' #easyCraft #paperCup #flyingCraft

It’s a toy that combines paper cups and a round chopstick to spin like a bamboo-copter and soar into the sky.

By spreading “wings” that catch the wind and coloring it mainly red, it takes on a curious form—a flying octopus.

You’ll use two paper cups and a round chopstick: attach the chopstick and the octopus’s facial parts to a paper cup with only the bottom left to create a launcher.

Then cut slits into the other paper cup, spread it out to form propeller-like blades, and attach it to the launcher to finish.

Fine-tune the propeller angles to make your octopus fly even higher.

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kappamaki

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spool tank

[Simple Craft 013] Paper Cup Spool Tank — Goes Fairly Straight: Pincushion Tanks

Do you know spool tanks? They’re a classic DIY toy that looks like a spool with chopsticks attached.

The chopsticks are connected to the spool with a rubber band; when you twist it, it stores energy, and when you let go, it moves forward on its own.

How about making the spool part out of a paper cup? It’s bigger than a regular spool, so it’s more impressive, and you can have fun decorating it.

They can also run quite fast, so racing them makes for an exciting activity.

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pinhole camera

[Easy! Parent-Child Experiment] Let's Make a Pinhole Camera [Great for Independent Research Too]

I’m going to show you how to make a pinhole camera that displays an upside-down image.

First, use a flattened paper cup as a template to trace onto black construction paper, cut it out, and glue it to the inside and outside of five paper cups.

Cut out the bottom of four of the cups.

Next, in the cup that still has its bottom, make a hole about 1 cm wide in the center of the bottom and glue aluminum foil over it.

Poke a small hole in the center of the foil and paint the surrounding area black.

Then cut a piece of tracing paper and attach it to the bottom opening of one of the cups whose bottom you removed.

Finally, stack the cups in this order: the one with the aluminum foil, then the three with the bottoms removed, and last the one with tracing paper on the bottom.

You’re done! Try looking at different things and have fun experimenting.

clock

Improvised Craft No. 15: “Paper Cup Matching Clock”

Let’s make a fun clock from a paper cup, where the hands tick when you move the straws! First, cut the paper cup about 3 cm up from the bottom, and use an awl to make a hole in the center of the bottom.

Next, write the numbers 1 through 12 on round stickers and attach them around the outside of the cup’s bottom to form the clock face.

Prepare two bendable straws, make small slits, then overlap the two straws.

Insert them into another paper cup that has holes in the center of the bottom and on the side.

Use another straw to go through the bottom and secure it in place.

Finally, stack the cup with the clock face over the cup with the straws threaded through, and tape them together to finish.

It’s a clever idea that makes good use of the straw structure.

Horns that move! Rhinoceros beetle

Easy paper-cup craft: “Moving Horn! Rhinoceros Beetle” — Paper Cup Beetle

Beetles, especially rhinoceros beetles, are particularly popular insects.

There are lots of anime and games that feature them, right? So how about recreating the cool look of a rhinoceros beetle and its horn-lifting motion using a paper cup? You can make a beetle by covering a paper cup with brown origami paper and build in a mechanism that raises the horn when you press it.

By changing the color and the shape of the horn, you can apply the same principle to make a stag beetle too.

Displaying them as a set will create an even better atmosphere.

You could also have fun making them battle each other.

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