The Craft Connection

Make a Bottle Cap Boa

by Shannon McMath

 Most children are intrigued by slithering creatures and would love to have one as a pet. If you’re not ready to indulge their reptilian whim, make this Bottle Cap Boa instead! It’s pretty easy to do (the hardest part is saving up all of the bottle caps) and when the project is done, your child will have a squirming plaything that won’t make your skin crawl! Most children are intrigued by slithering creatures and would love to have one as a pet. If you’re not ready to indulge their reptilian whim, make this Bottle Cap Boa instead! It’s pretty easy to do (the hardest part is saving up all of the bottle caps) and when the project is done, your child will have a squirming plaything that won’t make your skin crawl!

Make long snakes, short snakes, or use your imagination to make other bottle cap creatures - crabs, ladybugs, centipedes - just by adding chenille stem legs or antenae. You'll soon have a menagerie of handmade toys that will provide hours of fun for your young ones.

What You Need:

• metal bottle caps – about 75 of them

• play dough or air dry clay

• thin yarn

• two paper clips

• hammer & one nail

• green spray paint (optional)

What You Do:

1. The first step in the process is optional. If you don’t mind your boa being the color or your bottle caps, you can proceed to step 2. Otherwise, lay out all of your bottle caps on a flat surface, outside, where you can spray paint them. Once they are dry move on to step two.
    
2. Using your hammer and nail (adult help may be needed with this step) make a hole in the center of each bottle cap.
    
3. Now, take your piece of yarn, tie a knot about 4 inches from one end and thread it through all of the caps. Once you have all of your caps on, tie it off with another knot, again leaving about 4 inches of yarn to add a play dough head.
    
4. Tie a paper clip to each end using the excess yarn. Doing this will provide an anchor for the play dough to stay attached.
    
5. Now it’s time to model your head and tail. Squish some play dough around one of the paper clips and mold it into the shape of a tail. Do the same on the other end, but make it look like a snake's head. Get creative – add some crazy eyes and a wiggly tongue. Let your play dough dry and you’ll have a fun slithering friend to play with!

Tips and Variations:

You don’t have to make your snake all one color. Divide up the caps and spray paint them different colors to create a pattern on your boa.