From Cheese Box to Rattle

This project is for those who like to recycle.

You will need

1. A round cardboard cheese box, the kind that is used to package cheese wedges.

2. A bamboo stick or any stick that is about 8" long and not too fat, preferably less than a centimeter in diameter.

3. 2 beads

4. Thread

5. Glue

6. Tape

7. Coloured paper

8. Scissors

10. Pin

Draw 2 circles on the coloured sheet using the box for size. Cut. You could even cut out images to paste on them if you wish, like I cut the 2 floral patterns.

Cut a strip a little longer than the circumference of the circular box. It should be about 1.5 cm more than the width of the box. Fold this sheet at about 0.75cm from one side, then give it another fold leaving a distance of the width fo the box. Make cuts along these folds as seen in the images, making sure you do not cut into the middle part of the strip. This is to enable sticking along the circular surface.

On the lid make a slit and then cut to form a triangular cut out. The base of the box will most likely have a slit on one side. Cut diagonally to this to make a triangular cutout. Make sure to cut just enough to allow the stick to pass through.

Place the stick on the lid of the box and use tape to attach the stick to the lid. You could use some other form of sticking if you like. I preferred this as it was fast and simple. Make sure the stick is firmly attached to the lid.

Take 2 strings of thread, each about 5" long. Thread the bead and knot to disable it from falling off. The beads used here had a metal loop so I just tied the thread to the loop.

The cheese box may already have holes, like the one I used. If not, use a pin to make holes at opposite sides of the box, perpendicular to the stick. Pass the other end of the bead holding thread through the hole and tie it, making sure that the length of the string is atleast 3" long.

You could use glue or tape to attach and seal the base and lid of the box together. I put tape at many points around the width from one side to the other.

There you have it. The basic frame for the rattle is ready. Now all you need to do is decorate it.

Hold the strip of paper along the box width, from the stick to one thread. Cut and attach with glue. We have to do this to allow the thread to have an opening to come through. If you want you could also just make a slit on the strip and let the thread through and continue wrapping the strip along the width of the box.

When sticking, the part of the strip that has slits is attached to the top and bottom of the box. Patch up any parts that seem to be open like in this case the part where the stick is, I just put a small piece of colored paper across.

After attaching the strip, glue the circles on either side of the box. Add other elements to the circles, like I added the floral patterns. You could even do your own drawing on the circle (a mandala maybe?) and attach to give it a personalized touch.

Spin the rattle by holding the stick between your thumb and fore finger and moving them back and forth so as to rotate the stick.

Have fun making noise at a party, entertaining a child or adding sound to your creative activities like plays, music etc.