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DIY Rainbow Submarine

Posted by Happy Active Kids on

DIY Rainbow Submarine - Happy Active Kids Australia

Both my boys are obsessed with Octonauts.  They just love going on undersea adventures with Captain Barnacles and his crew.  Did you know that the creatures and locations the Octonauts crew encounter are real marine animals, in their natural habitats?

I wasn’t surprised when the boys wanted to make a submarine using the plastic milk bottles that we wanted to recycle.  We intended to craft a DIY Gup-A to go with the Octopod the boys already have. A Gup-A is turquoise and shaped like an angler fish (yes I have been subjected to many Octonauts episodes!).  But then we thought, why simply make a turquoise Gup-A when you can make a RAINBOW Gup-A?

DIY Rainbow Submarine - Happy Active Kids Australia

This DIY rainbow submarine is an easy and fun craft with plenty of creative opportunity and vocabulary development.  It’s brilliant for cutting, gluing and puzzle-solving skills as well as developing fine motor skills. We always love crafts that showcase to the boys how important recycling, repurposing and reusing every day items is.  It’s a great way for them to see how certain objects could be used for other uses – enhancing their creative thought.

My boys have already enjoyed hours of imaginative play with this DIY Rainbow Gup-A.  I was barely allowed a few minutes to take these photos!

I hear Captain Barnacles already, “Sound the Octo-Alert!  Octonauts, to the launch pad! Octonauts, to the rainbow Gup-A!”

DIY Rainbow Submarine - Happy Active Kids Australia

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THE DIY RAINBOW SUBMARINE:

  • 1 x plastic milk bottle
  • 1 x disposable drinking cup
  • 1 x drinking straw
  • 1 x brad fastener
  • White paper or round stickers
  • 2 x pieces tape and 2 x large coins

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE DIY RAINBOW SUBMARINE:

  • To make the main body, lay the milk bottle on its side and use a Stanley knife to cut out the cockpit of submarine at the bottom end of the milk bottle container.
  • Decorate the body of the submarine as you’d like (We used a bright patterned washi tape and painted with acrylic paint.)
  • For the submarine tower, place the disposable cup upside down on a table and cut out 2 arches on opposite sides so that cup fits snugly onto the top of the submarine’s body.
  • To make periscope, cut the drinking straw down to size and insert onto the top of the tower.
  • Use a glue gun to glue the tower onto the top of the submarine body.
  • For the propeller, cut an “x” shape from the plastic off cut of the cockpit.
  • Paint the propeller your preferred colour and punch a hole in the middle using a paper punch.
  • Use a brad fastener to fix propeller onto bottle cap at the tail end of submarine.
  • To make portholes, cut out circles from paper, colour and stick onto sides of submarine.
  • Once finished, tape 2 x large coins to the base of the inside of the submarine, to add stability.

* This post and all associated images have been supplied by the lovely Rossa from Curious Little People.  Follow her on Instagram for more creative inspirations!


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