Times are tough but there are still plenty of ways to entertain young kids for next to nothing. There are all kinds of fun things you can make, using things around the house, that will entertain children for hours on end. One of these cheap yet fun things is a set of coffee can stilts, or silly shoes, your kids can use. All you need are a couple of coffee cans and some roping to make the stilts.
Two large, metal coffee cans are ideal for making the children’s stilts. Punch a hole on each side of the can, directly opposite each other, near the bottom of the can. Push a piece of roping through the holes and tie the ends together, inside the can. The roping should be long enough that the child can hold onto it, like handles, while walking on the stilts.
To use the coffee can stilts turn the can to where the open side is on the floor. The child steps onto the cans, holding the rope from each one. The child holds the ropes while walking on the stilts. The rope helps the child keep his or her balance and it keeps the stilts on the feet.
Before tying the roping onto the cans kids can decorate their new stilts. Shelf paper, cloth or even wallpaper can be used to decorate the cans. Or, they can simply be painted. The decorating can be as simplistic or as detailed as you want it to be. Stickers, fake jewels, more roping, rubber stamping and other craft supplies can be used to create the ultimate stilts, or silly shoes.
The stilts don’t necessarily have to be made from coffee cans. Other things can be used to create the shoes, including paint cans or even wooden blocks. A hole must be drilled through the wooden blocks to use them as the stilts, though. Dollar theme stores have a large variety of things that can be used to make the stilts, like small metal buckets or little plastic baskets. The baskets must be hard plastic and able to support a young child’s weight.
If you don’t have any rope for the handles there are many other things you can use. Make handles from ribbon, twine, strips of cloth or even crochet yarn. Or, use an old jump rope or two to make the handles. The loop of rope should reach the child’s hand while he or she is standing straight up on the cans.
Children should use the stilts on flat areas only. Sidewalks or driveways are good, so long as they are paved, but avoid slick places, like hardwood flooring. The stilts can be loads of fun if used correctly but can cause accidents if used improperly. Be aware that some children will fall off of the cans, while learning to walk on them, so make sure an adult is nearby when children first use the stilts.
There’s no one size can or other object that’s an absolute must for the shoes. Various sizes of things can be used but it’s a good idea to make sure the object is large enough in diameter to nearly fit the foot. It’s not too big of an issue if the foot is smaller than the can, but if the foot is much larger than the can or other object, it can cause the child to topple over while walking.
This craft is a great project for a child’s birthday party or kids can just make the silly shoes on a summer day. No matter when or how they make the stilts children will have many hours of fun playing with them.
Reference:
- Purchase coffee here: www.amazon.com
