North Shore Resource Centre

Bottle tops make fabulous wheels.

Sipper bottle top can also be used if you take the top piece off. You can make a hole in the lid; these are great for threading.

The silver cap on top of milk bottles, juice bottles washed make large type sequins, eyes.

What to do with you empty paint bottles. Put some water in the bottle and mix equal parts of the water/paint mix with plaster of Paris. Tip into ice block maker containers.Drain off excess water after about 1 hour.Put somewhere to dry.When dry, tap ends of ice block container and tip out the plaster of Paris and allow to dry thoroughly. This can then be used for playground chalk.If we don’t have any plaster of Paris, the best place to get plaster from is a major hardware shop e.g. Bunnings, Mitre 10 etc, much cheaper that getting it through your art order.

Cut tops off drink bottles these make great funnels use the bottoms for cups these are great for water play.

Make your own glitter paint. Make up polycell glue (the one you can get through your art order not the one that you buy at a decorating store). Add powdered dye or mix wet dye when you are making up the glue then add glitter.This can be put into small squeezable bottles.

Paint dabbers

• Get some non slip cloth from a $2.00 shop cut in circles about the size of a bread and butter plate; put some Dacron filling in then tie top up.I usually use cable ties as these are easy to thread through the non slip cloth.This then leave a small handle on the top for children to hold.These can be washed and reused.

• Bubble wrap can be stuck on to small pieces of wood and used as stamps.

• Cut a piece of foam rubber about 2.5cm thick by about 8cm long x 5cm wide pinch together with a clothes peg and dip in paint.When put on paper these can look like butterflies.

Make your own shakers. Save small plastic bottle partially fill with different dry substances, put a small blob of silicone in the top of the bottle this will stick to the lid of the bottle and stop the contents coming out.

Make your own drums. Small cardboard rolls can be procured from photo developers if we don’t have any in stock.These can be painted or covered. You can use tightly stretched leather, vinyl or clean inner tube to put on the top. Tip - use 6mm staples thes will not penitrate to te inside to hurt little fingers.