[Nursery/Kindergarten] Crafts you can play with after making them

A fish-shaped Cartesian diver

How to Make a Cartesian Diver [Online May Festival 2020]

Do you know a Cartesian diver? In Japanese it’s called “fuchinshi.” It’s a really fun craft where a little fish sinks and floats in water, so let’s make one! You’ll need a plastic bottle—ideally a rounded one that once held a carbonated drink.

You’ll also need 2–3 small fish-shaped soy sauce bottles (the kind you see in lunch boxes), 2–3 nuts (metal hex nuts) that fit snugly onto the fish’s spout, and water.

First, remove the cap from each soy sauce bottle and attach a nut to the spout.

Next, float the fish in a cup of water and let it take in small amounts of water until about half of the fish sticks out above the surface.

Fill the plastic bottle completely with water, drop in the fish you prepared, and screw on the cap—that’s it! When you squeeze the bottle, the fish will sink; when you release it, the fish will float back up! Feel free to customize it by drawing on the fish or coloring the water.

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hiyoko sensei

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Snow globe made from a plastic bottle

How to make a snow globe

Here’s how to make a snow globe using a plastic bottle.

Prepare an empty bottle from a lactic acid bacteria drink, decorative pom-poms, beads, glitter, liquid glue, and a hot glue gun.

Put the beads and decorative pom-poms into the empty drink bottle.

Fill the bottle about halfway with liquid glue, then add water.

Color a piece of paper with colored pens, place it into the bottle, and let it tint the liquid.

Mix everything together, then top up with water to push out any air, and you’re done.

Close the cap tightly and secure it with a hot glue gun so it won’t open.

Wrap vinyl tape around the top to finish.

Decorating with washi tape might make it even cuter!

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mayumi

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Flyer

Let's make a spinning top using an advertising flyer

A spinning top made by combining two types of parts from flyers—its key points are that the materials are easy to get and it’s easy to make.

For the shaft, use a flyer rolled tightly into a long, thin tube.

Roll it firmly with thinness and sturdiness in mind, then cut it to a suitable length.

Next, fold another flyer to a width shorter than the cut shaft, wrap it around the shaft in coils to build up volume, and you’re done.

It’s important to add plenty of volume, so keep connecting multiple sheets of flyer, varying the width as you go.

It could also be fun to observe how changes in width affect the way it spins.

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kappamaki

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Thread-spinning top

Simple Craft 053: String-Pulled Top — Can It Spin Even Stronger?

Let’s try making a cool, fast-spinning pull-string top! It’s a perfect craft idea for kids, too.

This top can be spun just by pulling a string, even if you don’t have much strength.

First, create the top’s shape with Perler beads (fuse beads), then insert a chopstick with a sharpened tip into the center of the top.

It will spin well as is, but by adding a mechanism with a straw to pull the string, you can make it spin even more powerfully! Winding and pulling the string might feel a little tricky at first, but give it a try and spin your top in style!

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miyabi

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Playing donut shop

Learn while you play! Here are some ideas for playing donut shop.

Playing store is a great opportunity for children to enjoy themselves while learning knowledge and habits related to food.

By having fun and developing an interest in food through play, and by dividing roles during play, children can also learn the importance of communication and cooperation with others.

Items to prepare include chopsticks, spoons, vinyl tape, clothespins, milk cartons, packing tape, origami paper, and envelopes.

Give it a try!