Toilet Paper Tube Ladybug Larva Racers

We combined science with craft time today, and ended up with a pretty fun toy in the bargain. The younger girls kicked things off for us, this morning, by painting toilet paper tubes orange.


When they were dry, I punched two pairs of holes in each one, to allow wooden skewer axles to fit through. I neglected to check the radius of the milk caps we were planning on using as wheels, and so ended up having to punch a second set of holes, lower down, later in the process. Chalk that up to, "Mom still has a few science lessons left to learn, herself."


The children then looked at the pictures we had taken of our larvae, and drew their versions on top of the toilet paper tubes (their portion of the science lesson). Some of the children took more creative license than others, but they all took their time observing, and discussing the pictures, and the insects.


We poked holes in the center of milk caps (this could have been a good math review, except the milk caps already had little dents in the center).


Then, we broke wooden skewers in half, removing their pointy ends, and used them to attach the milk caps, through the holes we had just poked, and punched.


After that, it was an afternoon of larva racing fun. If the real larvae can move as fast as our racers, the aphids don't stand a chance.


It's great to be a homeschooler.