Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tool Time Tuesday...Recycled Cap Game

Happy Tuesday! I'm writing this Monday night with Internet and cable restored after a long weekend with hurricane Irene visiting. Thank you again for all your prayers for the east coast. So many areas are still without power and were devastated by water damage. Our 2 daughters were due to move into their university this past Sunday, but the school is still without power. No telling when it will be restored.

Today's Tool Time is a recycling project. An old fashion game in honor of roughing it with no technology or electronics this weekend... a matching cap game!!

I used caps from water bottles. Try to save the same kind or color for the game. Save something that you use a lot of...milk caps, soda bottle caps, juice bottles etc.



Here's the top and the inside of the caps...


For the matching game, measure the inside of the cap...usually inside the lip of the lid. You can also find a coin that fits in there to use as a stencil.


Now for the matching part of the game. You can use anything, but make sure you have 2 of each picture.
  • letters
  • shapes
  • food
  • animals
  • numbers
  • colors
You can get them from the...
  • computer
  • magazines
  • fabric with shapes on them (I Spy fabric)
  • old books
  • scrap book paper
  • paint chips from the hardware store

I used the alphabet. You can just print the alphabet or numbers and cut out the circle.

Towards the end of the post, I show you how to make the circles on the computer.



Cut out the shape...


and glue inside.


After you fill in all the caps with 2 of each letter or what ever item you chose, the game is all set to go.


Game instructions...

The kids can turn over all the caps to hide all the letters. Slide them around to mix them up. Then they each take turns turning over 2 caps trying to match 2 of the same item. They need to memorize where the items are to match them again on another turn.

The one with the most matches at the end of the game wins!!


Remember you can use a coin to trace the shape too, but here is the computer version for a circle.

Microsoft word...click Insert (circled in black) Click the pictures to enlarge to see it better.



Then click "Shapes"


Drop down selection you will click oval, but that makes a circle too.


Over to the far right is a measuring box. My caps were .75 of an inch across. When you put your measurements in, the circle forms in that shape.


Double click on the circle and then to the far left click the button to insert text in the circle.


Don't forget to print 2 of each one!! I didn't do the whole alphabet yet, just wanted to show you the basics.



This is not only a great game for kids to learn their letters, numbers, colors etc...it's also great for their memory.

Store the game in a little bag and it travels easily too! Perfect to keep the kids busy while waiting at appointments.

Have fun making this game with them and then playing it!!

Have a great Tuesday,
~Karen~

17 comments:

  1. Karen I never cease to be amazed at what you can recycle into something incredible!!!! xo

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  2. Cute game. I will pass this one along to families with children. Thanks

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  3. Great idea, I have tons of caps lying around here. Not to mention wine corks, ahem.

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  4. It is so great to know that you are ok. I have been thinking about you since the storm. We lost internet for only a few hours yesterday, but kept power. We bought a generator 2 years ago because of how these storms hit. Nothing like living without electricity for 4 days. That time my mom had power, so I ran my freezer food to her house. After that storm was gone, we bought the generator.

    I love your game. My kids are older and wouldn't play it, but it is a great game. I like to reduce, reuse, recycle. We live that way everyday. I am currently working on a checkerboard quilt game to travel with. I am making it out of 2 of my husbands unwanted dress shirts. I haven't decided what I am going to use for the checkers yet. We save all of our plastic caps for my husband's cousin. She takes them to her work and someone there uses them to help pay for some kind of medical treatments somehow.

    Have a great day!!!

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  5. Do you have Microsoft Word 2007? I have 2003 and mine doesn't come up like that. Am trying to work with it, but can't quite get it done. Thanks for the recycling game...cute.

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  6. EVERYONE should be playing this game!! Keep that mind active and working, exercis that muscle and keep it strong!!!
    This is a perfect game - one I have not thought of in a long time!!
    great idea!!!

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  7. Looks like just the ticket for my grandkids. Thanks

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  8. That is a neat idea for the memory game. I played Memory with my youngest daughter when she was little and with my grandchildren sooooooooooo many times. The kids tell me I need to play it now to
    help my memory.....and they will be the ones to pick out my nursing home...hummmmmmmm!!! Guess I better take their advice huh. I might make your game for them at Christmas...LOL.
    Its good to know you made it through the storm.

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  9. Karen, Thank you for posting all your computer tutorials. I am still amazingly illiterate of the features my computer has and while willing to learn, few people teach well. I have been able to follow your instructions. Thank you and please keep teaching! rsmith

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  10. I love it! As a homeschooler, I think I'm going to use this idea to teach them their "doubles" in addition by having my girls tell me the sum of the pairs they find before they can actually earn their match-up. As they progress, maybe we can use it to teach them their "squares" also.

    Stacy, you can use large, pretty buttons for checkers. Or make something out of Sculpey.

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  11. As always a great idea.

    You could make these for the folks on your christmas list for christmas as part of a survival kit. Just a thought.

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  12. You have the most amazing ideas! I can't imagine all that goes on in your head. This idea is fabulous. My granddaughter and I will be saving caps to make this one. Thank you so very much!

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  13. Great idea! You could also use them to make a Checkers game, or as pieces for a board game.

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  14. I'd like to Pin this....where would the button be? Thank you....great idea!

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  15. I am so glad to find this - I'm thinking it would be ideal for a memory game for my father. He had a stroke in December and I've been trying to come up with different ideas to help him with his memory loss. Thanks Karen

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment...I just love hearing from you!

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