Plastic bottle bangles
Rings cut from a plastic bottle, edged with decorated tape and coloured in with markers: brand-new rigid bangles, made from rubbish.
Age : age 5+; the grown-up cuts the bottle
Materials
- An empty, clean plastic bottle : A small bottle (500 ml) for a child's wrist.
- A craft knife and scissors, for the grown-up
- Decorated tape (masking tape, washi tape) : To cover the sharp edges.
- Acrylic or permanent markers : Ordinary felt tips don't stay on plastic.
- Stickers, wool : For decorating.
Steps
Make the rings
- The grown-up cuts off the top and bottom of the bottle to keep the cylinder in the middle.
- They cut this cylinder into rings 3 to 4 cm wide.
- They snip each ring open on one side: the bangle opens up to slip over the wrist.
- They trim the edges nice and straight and round off the corners with scissors.
Decorate
- Stick decorated tape over each edge, folding it over both sides all the way round: nothing scratches any more.
- Colour the plastic with acrylic markers: stripes, dots, hearts, a name.
- Leave the markers to dry for 15 minutes.
- You can wind wool round it for a soft, cosy bangle, or add stickers.
In the original video, a grown-up heats the edges with an iron so they curl over. We prefer tape: no heat and no melted-plastic fumes.
If it goes wrong
- The bangle cuts the wrist : Add more tape, folding it well over both sides.
- The marker rubs off : Use an acrylic or permanent marker and let it dry.
- Too big, it falls off : Trim the ring so the ends overlap a little and tape them.
Safety
- The craft knife stays with the grown-up: cut plastic is sharp until the edges are covered.
- Never melt plastic with children.