Make your own DIY airplane craft from a cardboard tube! This was a project started before we went to Canada. We borrowed books from the library on Canada and on aircraft so the children could get a feel for what they may see along the way. But as things sometimes go with a four-year-old, Tristan lost interest for a while in all the excitement of going so it wasn’t finished until we’d been back for a while. It’s quite simple and could be fashioned in many ways to have an entire world-wide fleet.
For your airplane you will need:
- An empty paper towel roll
- A piece of cardstock/lightweight cardboard
- Masking tape
- Paint and or markers
- Scissors
- Stickers if desired
Paint the cardboard tube and wait for it to dry. This will be the body of the airplane.
Cut out some ‘wings’ and a tail from the cardstock
Use a piece of cardstock to form a cone for the nose and trim it to shape before using masking tape to attach it to the tube.
By using masking tape you can paint the tape to make it blend in better, but Tristan liked his as it was.
Make a slit in the side of the tube, a little higher than centre. Make a matching one on the opposite side. Then slide the wings through.
Make a little slit in the top of the tube at the tail end to attach your tail piece
Then it’s down to your little flyers to add the finishing touches of windows (or eyes in Tristan’s case), doors, and logos.
Ps: it may not be a good idea to leave your little one with a whole sheet of stickers while helping another one with the potty-
it’ll soon be empty! But it did make for a good-looking airplane!
Bon Voyage!
To see another cardboard tube craft, check out our Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and a little canoe.
