A couple months ago, I read about this great craft idea on a fellow blogger's site. It's similar to the awesome Find-It Games that my children love. Basically, these games are cylinders filled with plastic pellets in which are hidden about 25 tiny objects. Children and adults (Yes, including me!) have been known to spend hours trying to locate every last item.
So, I had been gathering the materials for this project. And, today, being yet another snow day for my boys, I thought was the perfect time to attempt this project.
The materials we used to make each Hidden Object bottle were:
**1L Smart Water bottle, label removed
**uncooked rice (or plastic pellets)
**small funnel
**25-30 tiny objects (eg: paperclip, eraser, marble, screw, toothpick, mini pompom, dime, pasta, rubber band, button, and a Lego brick)
This is a rather simple craft project, actually. The most difficult part is preparing the bottle. Removing the label requires a little vegetable oil, as well as some elbow grease. Then, I used dishsoap to remove the oily residue. Also, you'll want to have the interior of the bottle dry before adding the rice, so there's a bit of wait time involved. (I mention these steps, since I wish I had prepared the bottles beforehand. When they're excited about doing a project, children aren't the best at waiting patiently. ;) While the bottles are drying, the kids can go on a hunt for fun little objects to place inside.
The remaining steps are rather quick and easy. Basically, you just take turns pouring the rice in using the funnel, and then adding several of the small objects every so often. Make sure to leave a few inches of space at the top, so that the rice will move freely when the bottle is tipped this way and that. Once you're sure you have the correct amount of rice mixed in with the hidden objects, the bottle cap can be glued on. This will prevent someone from accidentally spilling its contents.
It's a good idea to write down all the hidden objects, so that the user will know when he has found them all. If you make more than one Hidden Object Game, the children can take turns playing with each one.
