I found the inspiration for this very simple but fun DIY summer camp craft to make your own wooden tops at Kleas. and when I saw that this was something that the blogger had made with her son and his little buddies at his pre-school, I felt fairly confident that we could handle it!
All you need are wooden dowels This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. and wooden wheels This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. that will fit snugly over the dowels- both of which youf can find easily online or at your local crafts store.
If you'd like to make your wooden top a bit more colorful, you can paint the wheel with acrylic paint and allow it to dry before assembling your top.
Cut the dowels into 3-inch lengths (I had to use my hubby's hand saw to do this), and then using a pencil sharpener (either electric or manual) sharpen one end into a point.
Use a little sandpaper to smooth the sharpened end so that there are no rough edges.
You want the bottom of your point to be flat so the top has something to spin on.
Then fit your wheel onto the dowel so it rests in the lower third of the dowel. I needed to use a hammer to lightly tap the wheel into place.
The kids had a lot of fun competing to see who could get their top to spin the longest!
Here are some more great summer ideas for you:
Please check out my DIY Summer Camp page for lots of ideas on how to host your own kids summer camp at home!
- Free Family Summer Bucket List Printable
- Free Printable Summer Schedule
- 50 Fun Summer Activities, Crafts, and Field Trips (From Pre-K to Teens!)
- How to Build a Backyard Zipline!
- Make Your Own Lava Lamp
Do you think your kids would love to learn how to make giant bubbles?
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