There's no need to pay for an expensive toy at the store when you can have tons of fun making your own at home. Teach your child that by building this miniature rocking horse together. All you need are some household materials and recyclables, and you can create an old-fashioned, classic toy for her to play with!
What You Need:
- Scissors or box cutter
- One toilet paper tube
- One small paper plate
- Brown, black or white construction paper
- Yarn for the tail. The color of the yarn depends on what color of a tail you want for your horse.
- Glue
- Crayons
What to Do:
- Cut an incision across the toilet paper tube. Make sure not to cut all the way across.
- Fold the paper plate in half.
- Place the folded edge inside the large cut in the toilet paper tube. You might have to adjust the size of the plate either by cutting it or by lengthening the cut on the tube. Use some glue to make the plate stay in place. The folded plate will be your horse's rocker.
- Use the construction paper to draw the head of a horse. Let your child decorate it with markers or glue on eyes or even yarn for hair.
- On the side opposite the paper plate, make a small cut about ½" on the top on the tube. With a little bit of glue, insert the head.
- Glue pieces of yarn on the other end for the tail.
- The tube of toilet paper will act as the back of the horse. You can create a saddle for the horse with the construction paper by cutting out an an oval that's about 1-1/2" y 2-1/2". Fold the oval over the back of the horse and secure it with a little glue.
- Let the glue dry.
Now your horse is ready! Tip it and watch it rock.
By Barbara Sweet
Barbara Sweet has a Master's degree in Education and has taught Spanish in grades K-12, as well as a variety of undergraduate college courses. She is also the mother of a nine-year-old son.
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