DIY Toilet Paper Roll Crafts

When you have reached the last sheet of toilet paper on the roll, the easy and common thing to do is to toss the cardboard roll in the trash. A toilet paper roll after all, is only a minuscule piece of cardboard, so why go through the trouble of recycling it?
The above mentality is a common one, which is why so many of these rolls end up in the dumpster rather than the recycle bin. Every little bit helps, and recycling a measly paper roll is NOT a futile effort.
Keep in mind the three R's: recycle, reduce, reuse.
This article will focus on the third "R": reuse. If for some reason you prefer not to recycle those paper rolls, then an acceptable alternative is to reuse them. This option can be great for children. It's an opportunity for them to explore and discover fun ways to improvise the use of these paper rolls. I will highlight a few examples of fun crafts that these rolls can be transformed into.
With enough of these rolls and a few other materials like string, paper, and glue, you can construct a bird feeder. All it requires is a little stretch of the imagination, and you can see how it can be constructed. If you happen to own small rodents like a hamster or gerbil, you could cut the rolls to smaller pieces and throw it in the cage. This will give those little rodent friends of yours something to chew and gnaw at.
If you have a young son (or a tomboy daughter) who loves to play make believe commando or ninja outdoors, then paper rolls can be crafted into toy weapons and accessories. Gluing two rolls side by side makes a pair of binoculars. Connecting two rolls with a lengthy piece of string makes a pair of nunchakus. Connecting several rolls by its ends makes a sword or spear.
Paper rolls also make excellent targets for a squirt or BB gun. If you have a small ball and a smooth surface, then these rolls can be improvised as bowling pins.
Here's a really unique idea I learned back in grade school. Take a paper roll, or connect two toilet paper rolls by its ends. Cover both ends with black construction paper. Poke a hole on one end with a pencil. At the other end, make several tiny holes with a needle. You have just created a toy kaleidoscope. Now flip on a lamp, and put the end with the needle holes to the light. Now peer through the pencil hole of the other end. You are now looking into an imaginary night time sky full of stars.
These are just a small sample of ideas. Any manner in which these rolls are recycled or reused is better than it being tossed in the garbage. Now go on and start saving those rolls. Let your imagination run wild with what you can create.
Little boys are especially fond of anything that has to do with firemen, especially if a relative is involved with a fire department. If you're having a party for a male child based on a fireman theme, you can help the children with a fireman toilet paper roll craft project. It will keep them entertained while teaching them about firemen at the same time. To make the fireman toilet paper roll you will need to print the template of the child's choice from the Internet first, and then each child will need a coloring tool if you print the black and white version, empty toilet paper roll, scissors, glue, and paper. Set your margins to zero if the entire template doesn't print on one page.
The first thing that is necessary is to color anywhere that is necessary and cut out the pieces of the template. The first step is gluing the rectangular piece to cover the tube. Afterwards, you glue the head, arms, and boots before decorating with hat, belt, and fire hose. Now that your fireman is complete, you can include him in a toy fire truck and have fun with him for hours. You can write each child's name on his fireman and use that as his place mat for the party.
Don't hesitate to try this with your girls as well. Often they become engrossed in the fire company as well, especially if Daddy or PopPop are involved in the fire department.