BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

But wait!  There’s more!  I feel like an infomercial!  I’ve come up with a few more “cup”able projects!  I promise this is the last day I’ll push plastic cups!

Instruments – Give each child a cup and play some catchy music.  Have them gently tap the cup on their desk to the beat of the music.

*Give them two cups that they can tap together to make music.

Turkey Caller – Take a nail and poke it through the bottom of a cup.  (An adult will need to do this.)  Thread a 2’ piece of string through the hole and tie a paper clip to the end outside the cup.  Hold the cup upside down and dip the string in water.  With your index finger and thumb, gently pull down on the string.  You can make a long squeaking noise or jerk it to sound like a chicken.

Phone – Punch holes in the bottoms of two cups.  Take an 8’ piece of string and thread each end through the bottom of a cup.  Tie paper clips to the ends of the strings in the cups.  Each friend takes a cup and pulls the string taut.  One child talks in a cup while the other child holds the cup to her ear and listens.

Fence Art – You’ve all seen this where the children stick cups in a chain link fence to make a design.  This is great for holidays and other special celebrations.

*You could also challenge children to make patterns in a fence with cups.

Pop Up Puppet –This is cute for a groundhog or a bunny.  Poke a hole in the bottom of a cup.  Draw a groundhog, bunny, or other creature that lives underground on a piece of paper.  Cut out and attach to a straw.  Turn the cup upside down and insert the straw through the hole in the cup.  Move the straw up and down so the critter can pop out of the hole.

Snack Cups – In addition to using cups for liquids, they’re handy for serving popcorn and other snacks to children. 

*Decorate with stickers and use for party treats.

Brainstorm – Divide students into groups of 4.  Give each group a cup and challenge them to come up with as many uses for the cup as they can in 10 minutes.