| | | | Create and Play: Don't Throw Out the Pool Noodles!!! Don't Throw away your pool noodles at the end of the summer, here are some fun ideas you can do to recycle them! If you don't have any pool noodles, most Dollar Stores and even some pharmacies do! Pool Noodle Memory: Take your old, (Dry) pool noodle and cut it into about one inch pieces. Seperate into two piles Now on two of the pieces draw a shape- there is your match, Continue to make pairs of shapes on the pieces. Now flip them over, mix them up and you have a memory game!! Change it up! Draw letters, numbers or words on pairs of noodle pieces. You can also hide small pom poms inside the pool noodles, Use tweezers to pick up a pom pom and place one inside the cut piece of pool noodle. If your pieces are high enough you can hide more than one of each color and try to pick two and match what's inside. | | Pool Noodle Pool: Take your old pool noodles and dry them out. Once they are dried, cut them into one inch pieces. You can place them in a large bucket with some other items (puzzle pieces, small figures, etc) and use it as your sensory bin. Or fill a small pool with the rest of the cut up pieces of pool noodles and no you have a pool noodle ball pit. Add water to your pool, and make some pool noodle boats. Take a one inch piece of pool noodle, with the middle hole on the top, place a stick in the side and add a sail. Now you have noodle boats to float around. | | |  | | | Pool Noodle Motor Games: Noodle Javelin Throw: Take one pool noodle and form a circle,using duct tape to hold it together. You can tie a string through the noodle and hang it from a door frame or outisde you can hang it from a basketball net. Now take another pool noodle (might want to cut in half) and stand about five feet away. Can you throw the noodle into your noodle target? It Try to throw from further away or if you aren't ready to throw yet Take your circle noodle and place on the floor, now you can throw the cut pieces of noodle in- How many can you get in the circle. *You don't have to have three noodles, you can do this activity with one noodle hanging. Noodle Bean Bag Toss: Lay your circled noodles on the floor and try to throw your bean bag in them. Further away is worth more points then the ones up close. Try to match the bean bag color to the noodle. Or if you don't have bean bags you can throw short pieces of the pool noodle that you cut. Or lay your pool noodles on the ground to make a jumping course- jump in and out try not to touch the sides of the noodles! | | | Craft and Create With Your Pool Noodles Who would have thought to craft with a pool noodle?? Here are some fun crafts you can make with one of your dry pool noodles. Noodle Spider: Cut your pool noodle into one inch pieces. Place it on the table with the hole up, now you need pipe cleaners. Push three pipe cleaners into either side of the hole, now put stickers or glue circles cut from construction paper on to make eyes. What else can you create? A flower, a face, a snowman? Noodle Necklace: Stringing those small beads on a shoelace too difficult? Take your noodle pieces and thicker string, dowel or rope and practice lacing! Can you make a noodle necklace or bracelet? Write letters on each pool noodle and try to string them in alphabetical order or spell your name. You can cut the noodle pieces to any size, make thinner slices to add difficuty. You can also hold a dowel upright - now your child has to reach up and place on instead of stringing. | | Noodle Necklace: Stringing those small beads on a shoelace too difficult? Take your noodle pieces and thicker string, dowel or rope and practice lacing! Can you make a noodle necklace or bracelet? Write letters on each pool noodle and try to string them in alphabetical order or spell your name. You can cut the noodle pieces to any size, make thinner slices to add difficuty. You can also hold a dowel upright - now your child has to reach up and place on instead of stringing. Compiled by Lisa Walker OTR | | | | | |
