How to Make Cars From Toilet Paper Tubes

After the toilet paper is gone, you can use the tube to make toys.

Toilet paper tubes are in abundance in most homes and recycling them to make toys is a money-saving idea for families. The shape of the tube is similar to that of a racing car and, with a little paint and a few wheels, can easily be turned into a toy car. Children can exercise their creativity by decorating their car with logo stickers, numbers or stripes.

Things You'll Need

• 1 Toilet paper tube
• 4 Bottle caps
• 1 Push pin
• 2 Straws
• 2 Toothpicks
• Black foam paper
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors or Exacto knife
• Hole punch
• Paint

Instructions

1. Paint the tube the desired color.

2. Cut a one-inch rectangle in the toilet paper tube to serve as the car's seat. The rectangle should be near the center of the tube. Leave small uncut flaps on both ends of the rectangle and fold them in. One flap will serve as the seat back and the other will form an attachment point for the steering wheel.

3. Punch two holes on each side of the tube towards the bottom for the wheels. Hold the bottle caps up to the tube to measure the position of the hole punches.

4. Push a straw through both hole punches in the back of the tube to serve as an axle for the car. Cut the straw so only a few centimeters stick out from the tube. Do the same with the holes in the front of the car.

5. Use the push pin to make a hole in the middle of each of the four plastic bottle caps.

6. Put a toothpick in the bottle cap hole and slide it into one of the straws. The open end of the bottle cap should be exposed. Slide another bottle cap onto the other end of the toothpick. Repeat with the the second toothpick and straw.

7. Glue a thin line around the toothpick where it protrudes from the bottle cap to hold it in place. The toothpick will still spin in the straw, allowing the wheels to move.

8. Cut a steering wheel from the black foam paper and glue it to the front flap of the cut-out rectangle.

9. Add design details like a racing stripe, flames, numbers or logos.

References

• Mama Jen: Rollin' Race Cars
• Family Fun: Go, Tube Racer, Go