What kid doesn’t love throwing a toy parachute around?!! And what parent doesn’t love a toy that costs nothing, takes less than 5 minutes to make, and entertains your kids for hours on end?!! I made this DIY POCKET PARACHUTE for L on a rainy day last week…as soon as there was a break in the weather, we were out the door throwing the parachute all around town. L dropped the parachute off the steps of the old courthouse, a church, the library, a little pavilion stage, and she climbed up a tree and dropped it down as well. This pocket parachute is so simple, so easy, and so much fun!!!
Materials needed:
- plastic bag
- food pouch cap
- string
- scissors
- an awl (or screwdriver)
If you don’t have a food pouch cap, a toy wheel, some safety pins, paper clips or a wine cork could be used as well…get creative with what you have on hand!
First, cut the plastic bag into a square at least 12×12 inches.
Cut your string into 4 equal pieces, all approximately 15 inches long.
Using the awl, carefully poke a hole through the center of the food pouch cap.
Also, poke holes into each corner of the square you cut from the plastic bag. Make each hole 1/2 an inch from the edges.
Tie a piece of string onto each corner, using a double knot.
Next, gather all the strings together and tie them together with one overhand knot, about 3 inches from the end.
Thread two of the strings through the center of the food pouch cap and thread the other two through the side. Tie the ends together with a double knot.
Too easy, right? Now time to play!!! It’s just as much fun trying to catch the parachute as it is to throw it!
If your kids are older, they can experiment by making various parachutes…some out of bigger pieces of plastic, longer strings and cutting a hole in the center parachute as well. Enjoy!!!