Level of difficulty: Easier than bowling

Age range: 3+

Kids can manage most of the steps on their own, especially shaking the paint inside the bottles, which makes this a relatively mess-free craft.

Safety first: Glue gun for the topper is an adult-only job.

The takeaway: This fun craft keeps giving when it turns into an exciting backyard game. Plus, it’s a great way to upcycle plastic bottles.

You’ll need:

5 recycled plastic bottles, cleaned and labels removed (any size will work)

paint

paint brush

painters’ tape

something for weight (rice, dried beans or sand)

pompoms (optional)

hot glue

Step 1

Put a few squirts of paint inside the bottle, tighten the lid and shake, shake, shake. Add a few drops of water if you need to loosen the paint. Pour out the leftover paint and leave the open bottles to dry overnight.
Step 2

Decorate the outside of your bottle. We chose to go with a classic five-pin look by masking out lines with painters’ tape and painting them. You could try swirling different colours on the inside and skip the messy exterior painting all together.

Step 3

Your plastic bottles will be a little light and may blow around outside, adding some weight will make them more stable. Use something you have around the house like rice, beans or sand. Make your life easier with a funnel! Secure the lid on tight.

Step 4

For a finishing touch, hot-glue a pompom to the lid. Grab a ball and bring your ...