Children love to share their adventures. This craft is all about creating a way for a child of any age to share their fun with people they care about. The level of help needed from you depends on the age of your child. I did this activity with my two year old daughter just to show you how simple it can be.
You will need an empty bottle, paper, markers, tape or glue, and items from an “adventure”. We used items from our trip to the beach, but things from your backyard or items picked up from a recent trip to the park will do.
Have your child draw a picture or write about their fun adventure. My daughter drew the beach for her grandma.
Using a piece of paper taped into a cone shape (you can use a funnel if you have one) have your child pour sand, soil, rocks, or whatever small items into the bottle.
We took all of the items we wanted to share with Grandma and placed them on a piece of paper to make sure we didn’t forget anything she wanted to share. I took this opportunity to count the seashells with her and talk about the different colors, too. We even recounted where we found some of them. It is fun to retell the adventure to each other while doing this project.
Then my daughter placed each item into the bottle.
We rolled up her drawing and taped it to ensure it would stay tightly in place. If it unrolls Grandma is going to have a very hard time getting it out.
Screw the cap back on tightly. You can put a bead of glue around the inside of the cap before placing it back on the bottle. We decided to use our stash of bright orange duct tape to secure the lid.
Now you have a message in a bottle for your loved one. Is anyone else singing a song from The Police right now?
You can actually take this straight to your post office and have it mailed. They will print up a label that will affix directly on the bottle and you can send this off to a grandma, pen pal, or anyone anywhere in the world.