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DIY Jump rope: Made from Marker Caps!



Spring is finally kicking in where I live — that is in the Pacific Northwest — and sunnier, warmer days translate to a complete transformation in people's energies around here. So for the past week, my son and I have found ourselves outside every chance we could get: riding bikes, visiting parks, and taking nature walks. It has been fun, but I have sadly neglected my blog. Now I am back and I am refreshed. I look forward to the week ahead —  for I have a lot of activities in store to share as we lead up to my favorite day of celebration, Earth Day!

Yesterday, I had a friend come over, and she brought her 2 children along for a play date with Bode. Her daughter is nine, and I had a perfect craft up my sleeve for her. I had been planning to do this craft/activity for awhile now — that is making a jump rope out of old dried-out markers. Not only was it perfect for a girl her age but it also goes along with the theme of Earth Day. It feels satisfying to recycle materials that would otherwise go into our waste stream. And having this craft cost next to nothing isn't too shabby either!

At the school that I work at and at my house, I have been collecting marker caps for months. I saw the idea of making a jump rope using them somewhere along the way (I wish I remembered where!) and wanted to try my hand at it. Now was the perfect time.



Materials we used:
  • Crayola marker caps from dried-out markers
  • 2 crayola marker bottoms, (Just the capsules, the inside "ink" part removed)
  • twine
  • pipe cleaner
  • scissors
  • Drill with a drill bit 11/64 in size
  • glue gun (not shown in picture above)
First I drilled through each marker cap. This is an adult job! Hold the marker caps tightly and securely on the side. Please be careful! At first my grip wasn't tight enough on the marker cap causing it to spin around fervently. After a while though, I figured it out, no harm done!

Have child hold twine as if they were holding a jump rope to determine the length plus a little extra.  Cut the twine and tie one end in a knot. Create a "sewing needle" with the pipe cleaner by bending it in half over the other end of the twine. Twist the pipe cleaner to secure it.

Thread the first cap so that the knot is positioned inside the cap. This will be one of the handles of the jump rope. Attach the bottom of the marker (the "capsule" part) onto the cap, so that it looks like a regular marker. The knot is hidden, and twine is coming out the top.


Add marker tops, one by one, until desirable length is reached. Thread the last cap the opposite way as when you began. Tie a knot big enough so that it won't fall through the hole. Attach the bottom of the marker for the other handle. There will be an inch or so of slack, which is fine. At this point I heated up the glue gun, and glued the caps and bottoms of the handles together to prevent them from coming undone.



My friend's daughter tested it out and WOO-HOO! It was a success! And she was a good jump roper (if that is a word!) too!

My son trying it out. His feet kept getting in the way!

Soon after my friend's son (who is 6), and my son (who is 4) both gave it a whirl, and let's just say, it made me realize that learning to jump rope is something that comes with age and practice. A few more years and they will master it too, I am sure!

Have fun!

*****Update: I realized where I heard of this idea originally...I did a search and found it on Crafty Crow's website. The post was contributed by Mommy on a Shoestring. You can find the her post here. (I always want to give credit where credit is due!:)

Along with linking up at my regular places (see Link-ups and Blog Hop page), I also linked up to The Earth Day Celebrations Blog Hop at Mommy Labs. Check it out here.

Also I have linked up to: 
Little Wonders' Days



37 comments:

  1. I am going to start saving the lids to my markers now when they are dry. Thanks for the idea!

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  2. VERY cool! Love all the colors!!!

    Thanks for sharing with Learning Laboratory at Mama Smiles =)

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  3. Coolest idea ever. SO love this! Reminds me of those old-school jump ropes we had in elementary school. (Am I dating myself?!) :-)

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  4. Love this idea and I have two avid jumpers in my house. I will definitely start saving those caps so we can make one this summer.

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  5. This is just about the coolest project EVER!! I adore it! Thanks for sharing on Hey Mom, Look What I Did at Adventures In Mommy Land...hope to see you again soon :)

    Oh and I just featured this on Adventures In Mommy Land's facebook page btw!

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  6. Super project, love it! Would also look great just hanging out on a hook! And of course, don't forget you can use the ink cartridges from those markers to make great craft dye, which I've posted about several times. thanks so very much for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!

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  7. brilliant idea! definately pinning this!

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  8. Stopping by from Toys in the Dryer :) This is genius...and colorful! Love it!

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  9. What a great idea! Now I will save the caps from all of those dried out markers.

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  10. What a wonderful idea! Now I will just have to start saving marker caps for sure! Hope you have a wonderful and blessed weekend!!

    Mama Of Many Blessings

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  11. So COOL! And I remember the ropes hrissy is talking about. I love the rainbow effect that the caps give this one. And I love that this takes something totally worthless and makes it into a great toy! Pinned it :D Thanks for sharing on Kids Get Crafty! ~Alissa and Maggy

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  12. What a fab idea and what brilliant photos. Thanks so much for linking to Kids Co-op

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  13. We love threading activities and this is such a great use for marker caps too!

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  14. How clever!!! There are always old marker caps around the house, and this is the perfect use!

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  15. What an awesome idea! Never would have thought of it. Thanks for sharing! :)

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  16. This is an awesome idea! I LOVE it as we usually just end up throwing markers away and/or finding random caps lying around. Thanks for linking up to Fun Stuff Fridays on Toys In The Dryer!

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  17. Oh, this is wonderful!
    Going to collect marker caps now!

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  18. Love those colors! What a fantastic idea. I'm going to have to encourage lots of drawings with markers so we can hurry up and collect all those caps!

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  19. Your kids will be so much more excited to use this jump rope remembering this project and the fun they had!

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  20. I am just dropping by to tell you that I am featuring this on Tuesday Tots tomorrow. Drop by, check it out, an link up! I love this idea :)

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  21. What a great idea!! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!! I hope you are having a fabulous week!

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  22. I love this! We just posted our Kitchen Fun & Craft Friday link party and would love for you to share this! http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/2012/04/kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday-link_26.html

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  23. Wow! This is such a great idea!

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  24. What a great idea and so colourful too. Especially good when the pens have stopped working, now what to do with the pen bit.

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  25. I think this is a fabulous idea. The lids give it a bit of weight as well. We'll definitely give it a try.

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  26. Get out of here! What a super cute idea. Now I know what to do with all our markers when they're used. Thanks you for linking up to the Summer Bucket List Party. Have a great summer!

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  27. What a great idea. I started babysitting 4 weeks ago, loving every second of providing activities for the two children. This will be a great addition to our day. I love how creativity and fitness combine, creating this super cute idea. Jumping rope is a great activity to introduce fitness to children. The children that I babysit have a fundraiser every year called "Jump Rope For Heart." I'll have to find out when it is so I can plan this activity with the coinciding fundraiser. Thanks for the awesome idea!

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  28. I always thought this would be fun to try but didn't know if it would actually work - we'll be saving our marker caps now!!

    Warmly,
    Pink and Green Mama
    MaryLea

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  29. I love this idea! Perfect for summer fun!

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