Maker Monday: Create a DIY marker travel pack

Kids love to keep busy on car rides drawing pictures with felt-tip markers. With this week’s Maker Monday activity — a marker travel pack — it’s so much easier to keep them from dropping to the floor and rolling under a car seat. It’s a fun project to make, too.

You can do this project with items you may have around the house or can pick up at a dollar store. A note to kid makers: Please work with a parent or caregiver on this Maker Monday project and always be very careful when using tools of any kind.

Maker Monday materials you’ll need:

• 9-inch-by-12-inch foam sheet
• pipe cleaners
• scissors
• markers
• stickers (optional)

Step 1: Fold the foam sheet loosely lengthwise. Make a series of cuts into the fold about 1-inch deep, keeping the cuts about 1-inch apart from one another. Leave about 3 inches uncut at each end. (You will need two cuts for each marker you’ll store in the travel pack that you’re making.) If you are going to store fatter markers in your travel pack, leave more space between the cuts. If you’ll be storing very thin markers in your travel pack, you can keep the cuts an inch apart (or slightly less) and make more of them.

Step 2: Take four pipe cleaners and set them side by side, overlapping about 4 inches. Twist them together in order to make them into one extra-long pipe cleaner (see above).

Step 3: Open the foam sheet and weave the twisted pipe cleaner in an out of the cuts that you made. Push it through until you have an equal length sticking out at each end.

Step 4: Turn the foam sheet over and insert your markers in between the pipe cleaner and foam sheet.

Step 5: Fold the ends of the foam sheet together, pull the pipe cleaner ends together and twist them to keep it securely closed.

Optional Step 6: Decorate your marker travel pack with stickers.

Now you’re ready to bring your markers on car trips or anywhere you go. When using the markers, it can help you stay organized to remove just one at a time and put it back before using the next marker.

Want more at-home fun creating cool stuff and making beautiful things? Check out more Maker Monday projects right here.

Do you have an idea for a Maker Monday craft project? If so, please share it with Kidsburgh! Send your maker activities to info@kidsburgh.org.