A Summer Safari at Home!

When it’s too hot for toddlers to play outside, treat them to a make-believe safari at home. All you need are toilet paper rolls (or paper towel rolls cut in half), tape, string and crayons. With three toilet paper rolls, you can make a pair of binoculars. Two toilet paper rolls will be “binoculars” – held together with a narrow slice of the third toilet paper roll.

Simply tape the slice between the two other rolls to create a little space. Use a hole puncher or scissors to make a hole at one end of each long roll. Then, use string or yarn to string through the ends of the larger rolls to create a strap that can be knotted to let kids dangle their binoculars from their necks.

Adults can use scissors, and kids can use crayons, to create silly animal shapes from other toilet paper rolls. Or, use pictures of animals. Place them around your home to let kids “discover” animals. When kids are on safari at home, they are learning. They learn creativity and problem-solving skills. They can learn about nature, when you describe the “animals.” They also improve gross (big muscles like legs) and fine (fingers and hands) motor skills while on safari.