I made this Upcycle Invention Kit for the Maker Faire KC last month. I was amazed at the response I received from both the children and the parents so i decided to share it today on KSHB’s “Kansas City Live”.
I am not gonna lie…I had a blast doing this segment with Joel Nichols. He is a great guy!
To make your own upcycled inventor’s box, start digging through your recycling bin for materials. Cereal boxes, egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, yogurt cups and packaging materials are some of my favorites. Once you have a nice selection of materials, put them into a box or crate so that they are ready to be used. I have my kit in an old suitcase so I can close it up and take it wherever I need it.
Here is a list of recyclables that make great upcycled projects:
Milk Jugs
Water Bottles
Toilet Paper Rolls
Newspaper
Paper Towel Tubes
Magazines
Plastic Bottle Caps
Diaper Wipe Containers
Cereal Boxes
Baby Food Jars
Tissue Box
Oatmeal Box
Tin Cans
Wrapping Paper tubes
Styrofoam
Egg Cartons
Milk Cartons
Glass Jars
Plastic Jars
Bubble Wrap
Cardboard Box
Yogurt Containers
CD or DVD
Paper Bag
Plastic Bag
Tissue Paper
Other supplies needed:
Age-Appropriate scissors
Roll of scotch tape
Now to get the creative juices flowing, make some notecards with some invention ideas.
Here are some of my favorites:
A Robot
A vacuum cleaner
A Wind Chime
A Birdfeeder
A Train
A Kite
An Airplane or Hovercraft
A Bouquet of Flowers
A Rain Stick
A new zoo animal
Now it is time to build! Explain to your children that they can use anything from the building box to make their invention. Encourage them to use the materials creatively, and make sure they know that there is no right or wrong way of doing things.
