Milk Jug Igloo Instructions

Make an igloo model using household materials.

When you buy a gallon of milk, it is typically packaged in a plastic jug. While most milk jugs are recyclable, they can also be reused in a creative project. For example, you can use plastic milk jugs as a building material to construct a giant igloo. Once the igloo is formed, it can be used as a prop in a class play about the Inuit peoples, as a wintertime display or as a playhouse.

Things You'll Need

• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue sticks
• Large sheet of cardboard

Instructions

1. Push a hot glue stick into the back of a hot glue gun, and plug the hot glue gun into an electrical outlet to heat up for 5 to 7 minutes. This will allow the hot glue stick to melt into the tip of the hot glue gun.

2. Lay a large sheet of cardboard onto the floor. This will be the base of the igloo, so select a sheet of cardboard as large as you want the igloo to be.

3. Squeeze a quarter-sized dollop of hot glue onto one side of a plastic milk jug, and press it onto the outer edge of the cardboard. Allow the glue to cool for 1 minute. Repeat with enough milk jugs to create a circle that is almost complete, save for a small section that you will leave open as a door.

4. Squeeze a line of hot glue along the top of the first row of milk jugs, then place a second row of milk jugs on to of the first. Stagger the milk jugs so that the jugs in the second row lays over the seams of the first row. Place the jugs in the second row slightly inward. Allow the glue to cool for 1 minute.

5. Squeeze another line of glue along the top of the second row of milk jugs, then place a third row of milk jugs on top of the second row. Stagger them and position them slightly inward, as before. Allow the glue to cool for 1 minute. Repeat this process until you reach the top of the igloo. There will be a small opening at the top.

6. Squeeze a line of hot glue around the circumference of a single milk jug, and place it into the top opening. Hold the milk jug in place for 1 minute to allow the hot glue to cool.

Tips & Warnings

• Paint the outside of each milk jug using bright white acrylic paint to make the igloo look more realistic.

• Keep the hot glue gun out of the reach of children. Melted hot glue and the tip of the hot glue gun can cause severe burns upon contact with skin. Use under adult supervision.

References

• J. Meacham: Milk Jug Igloo
• Times News Magic Valley; Declo Student Building Massive Milk-Jug Igloo; 2010
• Evansville Courier and Press; Building an Igloo, Jug by Jug; 2009