The empty bottles often sit around the house, seemingly without purpose, but can hold immense potential. Beyond their usual function of storing water, these bottles can be repurposed in countless creative ways.

Today’s activity highlights this idea perfectly, as we transform a simple, empty plastic bottle into a fun and imaginative airplane. Thus, with a little creativity, even the most ordinary objects can take on new life and purpose. Let’s not waste time and start our project instantly:

Things you need:

1. Empty plastic bottle (250ml)

2. Two A-4-sized coloured papers

3. 18 inches long string or jute rope

4. Double-sided tape

5. Ruler

6. Scissors/paper cutter

7. Pencil

8. Marker

Directions:

1. Decide colours to use for the plane’s wings and the stars and windows. Here, I have used purple for the wings, and yellow for the windows and stars.

2. Place the paper in portrait orientation, then fold it into three equal sections, picture 2.

3. Cut the two parts still joined together, and secure and paste double tape on one side of the fold (wings), picture 3.

4. Using a pencil, create the wing shape from both sides then cut it out, see pictures 4 and 5.

5. Mark 3 inches long line on both sides (parallel to each other) in the middle of the bottle, then carefully make slits using scissors or a paper cutter. This is where you will insert the wings (see picture 6). You can ask an adult for help.

6. Take the bottle cap and cut a piece of paper to match its size. Cut a propeller from the same paper, then paste the propeller onto the circular piece and then onto the bottle cap, pictures 7, 8 and 9.

7. Cut a fin that is three inches long and one-inch-wide, then cut a rudder that is two inches long and one-inch-wide from the same purple paper, pictures 10 and 11.

8. Insert the wings into the slits you made in the bottle, picture 12.

9. Cut a one-inch slit at the bottom of the bottle and insert the fin and rudder, pictures 13 and 14.

10. Cut six small circles from the other coloured paper and paste them on top of the wings on the bottle. Add two stars, one on each wing; picture 15.

11. Make two small holes at the top centre of the bottle, insert the string from one hole and bring it out from the other.

The writer can be contacted at

ithecraftman@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 14th, 2024