Make Your Own I Spy Bottle

January 13, 2009 by Vanessa · 8 Comments

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

This was a very fun simple craft to do and will help me when my daughter needs something quietly to play. I have been keeping it in my purse and it has gotten me out of a few tantrums all ready.

First, find a plastic bottle – I found the Bolthouse Juice bottles work the best, they are the perfect size and have no ridges or indentations on them. Clean and dry it out very well.
We collected anything we thought could fit in the bottle from bottle-caps to charms to stickers. When we used a sticker we just rubbed whatever substance we were going to fill the bottle with (sand, rice, beans) on the back side of the sticker so it would not stick to the edge of the bottle.

Then we added rice, beans, or sand (or a mixture to the bottle) to the bottle (fill it up just enough so that when you twirl the bottle around you can find the objects). Note: If using sand, make sure the bottle is absolutely dry, I even took a blow dryer to it, or it will make a big mess for you.
Finally, I put some glue on the lid and screwed it shut. While adding the objects to the bottle we kept a list going. Then I typed up the list on the computer, laminated it, and attached it with a string. A perfect craft to do with any age.

You could also try these ideas for fillers: