Saturday, March 5, 2011

Paper cup lighthouses

This is a quick, last minute craft I came up with for the kids to do during Amelia's pump time.

Paper cup lighthouses

I love lighthouses. I have a collection of little wooden ones from souvenir shops. This craft was from a sudden inspiration that hit me when I was trying to decide what we could make using these LED battery operated tea light candles. I found mine at the Reject Shop in a pack of 4 for $3.

We used a paper cup, a plastic cup, coloured paper, glue, markers and our LED candles. You can probably see how we made these. We covered the paper cups in white paper first and then added strips of red paper. Using our markers we added windows and a door. Then we added the bottom half of a plastic cup (which was a little smaller than the paper cup) for the top. We coloured the top with the black markers, added the LED candle and we were done!
Paper cup lighthouse lights

Ellamay added a Barbie sticker to her lighthouse because apparently Barbie can be a lighthouse keeper as well as all her other careers :-)

The kids loved this. They have their lighthouses in beside their beds now. The candles flicker just like real candles so it makes the lighthouses look great in a dark room.

This would make a cool craft even with out the candles. Perhaps you could use some al foil in the top for the light. Or stick it over a torch. Just a few thoughts. (I probably don't need to point this out - but I will. These LED candles are not suitable for small children. They are a choking hazard.)

Have fun. If you have any great ideas for pump time activities, let me know :-)

11 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, how cute and easy is this! The little Daisy girl scouts will LOVE this. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. This is a GREAT idea!! Thanks for the awesome inspiration! :)

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  3. This is so clever. My boys will love doing this craft..thanks for the inspiration!

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  4. These are very cool - I am going to see if I can find some of those lights as well. Thanks

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  5. Hi Glenyce! I love this project, so simple and clever! Would you be interested in having this idea run in FamilyFun magazine? Drop me an email and let me know (or to ask me questions!): deborah.way@disney.com
    Thanks!

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  6. Hi, I am Aimee from over at HomeSpun-Threads and I am getting together some creative/crafty bloggers (that I have loved from afar) for the month of May. The plan is that every day in May a different guest share something totally creative for kids to do during the summer. Summer time is approaching quickly and many of us parents are biting our nails trying to figure out what fun things we can do with our kids this summer. I thought this tutorial was adorable! I’d absolutely love it if you would be interested in joining me, even if you want to share a post you have done previously. Please let me know as soon as possible.
    Thanks so much,
    Aimee
    http://www.homespun-threads.com

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  7. We have a lighthouse theme for VBS - these would be very cost-effective to make for a large group! Thanks!

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  8. I was looking for an activity for the kids table at my beach town's Day on the Green. This is perfect!!!!!! Love it thanks!

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