Weaving is an important skill for younger children, teaching them hand-eye coordinating and concentration. This pipe cleaner can is a great project to work on with a child – you can set up the structure of the pipe cleaners and allow them to spend time doing the weaving. Plus, you’ll have a practical piece for your or your child’s desk when you’re finished!

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Time required: 1-2 hours
Age range: 6+ (with adults helping for more difficult parts)

Things you’ll need:
Red pipe cleaners
Blue pipe cleaners
Yellow pipe cleaners
An aluminum can
Tape
A piece of cardboard at least as tall and wide as your pipe cleaners
Scissors or wire cutters
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Things to do:
1. Line up about 15 yellow pipe cleaners on your cardboard.

2. Tape them at the top and bottom to keep them in place.

3. Start weaving the red and blue pipe cleaners through the vertical yellow pipe cleaners. This step is a lot of fun for children!

4. Continue weaving, watching your piece grow.

5. Weave the piece to the height of your can.

6. Use scissors or wire cutters to snip the yellow pipe cleaners an inch or so longer than the can. For the other end, simply remove the tape, but make sure the yellow pipe cleaners are about an inch from the bottom of the weaving. Warm up your hot glue gun.

7. Hot glue one end to the can.

8. Wrap the woven piece around the can, trimming if needed. Hot glue this to the can.

9. Fold the yellow ends into the can, trimming if desired.

10. Fold the bottom ends to the bottom of the can.