Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Over the River and Through the Woods...

...to grandmother's house we go. Nine days and counting until Thanksgiving!

Today's post is dedicated all those brave souls who will be traveling by car or plane with young kids.

Confession.
I have a hard time throwing away paper towel rolls. They are fun-shaped and made from cardboard sturdy enough it seems that there ought to be life after dispensing paper towels. I have the same problem, by the way, with toilet paper rolls.

About a year and a half ago I did a post using toilet paper rolls to make beachy napkin rings for Matthew's birthday party. Today, paper towel tubes are center stage. With just a little effort on your part, paper towel rolls make the perfect Trip Tubes. Check it out...

Using the same technique I used when making a pinata for Matthew's teacher, crumple small pieces of tissue paper into round balls. Adhere balls to the paper towel roll using Elmer's Glue.
Fill tubes with items children can use to entertain themselves while sitting in the car or on a plane. Items I included were things such as crayons, coloring book pages, Mad Libs, toys cars, finger puppets, a miniature Magic 8 Ball, and countless other items stocked in the party section of Target, Walmart or your favorite dollar store.
Once chock full of treats, seal the ends. Guaranteed to make for an AMAIZING trip!
Or, how about wrapping the tube in a map and attaching a note wishing, "Happy Trails"
Or even wrapped in red paper with a wish for a"Dynamite Trip."
Now it's your turn. What other ways can we wrap these paper towel rolls to make for fun themed Trip Tubes? And, while you are at it, how about helping us generate other interesting items we might include in our tubes.

Signing off until tomorrow...

14 comments:

Robin said...

So adorable! I can't wait to try this. I could see this decorated like a giant Tootsie Roll. I'll have to think on it some more.

And while I'm here I'd like to remind everyone that today is National Prematurity Awareness Day. You can follow the hash tag #fight4preemies or check out: http://www.bloggersunite.org/event/fight-for-preemies

Heather @ HouseofShine.com said...

Cute idea!

My favorite is the map and that would be the easiest of all three to accomplish!

I think you could also do a crayon or just wrap in colorful paper and wish them a "Totally Tubular Trip".

Unknown said...

I don't have a picture of this - but Matthew did last year in class and will be doing it again on Friday.
Make a Thankerchief for Thanksgiving.

The kids decorate a plain handkerchief anyway they want. Also decorate a paper towel roll any way they want.

Adhere a poem - here's an idea:
Thankerchief, thankerchief, around you go --
Where you'll stop, we don't know.
But when you do, someone must say,
What we are thankful for this day.

Use it around the Thanksgiving table to remind all of us what we're thankful for.

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Cristine... I love, love, love your idea. Tell me how the handkerchief gets attached to the paper towel roll.

I will do this for our family.

Have I mentioned how much I love our blog community?!?

Kat said...

Cute idea!
You could glue random pictures cut out from magazines all over the tube and then use it as an "I Spy" game. If your kids can read, you could even include a list of things to find.
Some fun things to include in the tube would be stickers, silly putty, or little plastic animals. My son loves the glow in the dark bracelets at Dollar Tree, they would be fun for a trip after dark!

Peggy said...

Very cute! Cute! Cute! Not up with any ideas of my own, but there are tons if you GOOGLE.... paper towel roll crafts or even the smaller version, toilet paper tube crafts!!!

A few months ago I saw the cutest GREETING Card made out of a toilet paper roll..... what you can do when you recycle and reUSE.

Happy Day y'all!

Robin said...

Kat and Cristine - What great ideas!

I'm going to add that I'll have my kids write down what they are thankful for on strips of paper I've pre cut. I'll put them inside the paper towel roll and the seal it. We'll decorate the outside with either drawings from the kids or photos of the kids and seal it up like a time capsule for next year or possibly even later! Must not forget to date it!

Unknown said...

Claudia
we just place the thankerchief inside the tube so that everyone can take it out to make for easy passing.
I'll tell. Matthew's teacher that you like the idea

Cheryl Houston said...

For the sewers/knitters you could wrap it with yarn or fabric.

Glue flowers on it for girls.

Valentines or anniversaries: Colorful paper with ABC stickers on the outside. On the inside... The ABC's of why I love you written on paper strips.

For Christmas- decorate it with Christmas paper, stuff it with stuff and add it to a stocking.

You could put little soaps, sample perfumes, notes, rocks. Ran out of ideas. Straying a little bit from the trip ideas...my boys will be watching videos. :)hee hee.

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

I love all the ideas being generated! Robin, the history major in my LOVES the time capsule idea.

I might steal that for New Year's Eve. I'll decorate the tube with 2010 and let each family member write on a slip of paper one goal they have for the upcoming year. Then, New Year's 2011, we'll pull it back out.

What do you think Jack's goal for the year will be.

Kat, your idea of turning it into an Eye Spy is GREAT! you could include the list f things to search for on the inside of the tube.

We are MAGICAL! Is anyone from the outside peeking in and seeing all the magic we are producing here on Highlowaha?

I wish the world could see it!

Katie said...

I have some friends that are going on a tubing trip this winter break. I'm thinking a tublar tube for them!

Inside might be some lip balm, gloves, sock hat, etc. Outside I imagine using white tissue paper to make snowflakes and maybe some tubes.

I love HLA!

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Tubing in the dead of winter? Surely there's an east coast version of our south western version. You say tubing and we think... floating the river!

beekayroot said...

Would work as a pretty nifty loose change bank for me. Just put a cap on an empty tube.

Katie said...

By tubing I mean snow tubing! You crazy south western folks!