Arts & Crafts

How to Build a Pool Noodle Village

By: Highlights Editorial
A kid playing with pool noodle houses.
30
minute activity
For All Ages
Creativity
Curiosity

What kind of village do the kids want to create? A fantasy castle? A medieval village? A seaside resort? A town just like your own? Build your child’s imagination and powers of observation with a noodle village craft that can be completed quickly, or over the course of several days. The results of your pool noodle may look familiar—or totally untamed!

What You'll Need

What to Do

  1. Cut a pool noodle into 4- and 5-inch sections.

  2. Make doors and windows using cut pieces of colored duct tape. Add details with markers.

  3. To make a roof, decorate a cone-shaped cup with markers or crayons. Or cut a circle out of construction paper, cut out a wedge-shaped section (as shown) and form a cone, using tape to hold it together.

  4. Put the roof on top of the pool-noodle house. Repeat these steps to make different types of buildings for a pool-noodle village.

Extend the Fun 

For younger kids: Use toys from the playroom to enhance your child’s village. Ask your child, “Where should we place the toy cars, dollhouse figurines, or animals?” Talk about what each one contributes to a village.

For older kids: Make a pool-noodle village resembling your town. Draw streets on a large piece of poster board and glue each building in place: your house, your friend’s house, school, pizza parlor, movie theatre, post office and town hall. Then make up a travelogue: draw arrows and numbers on the poster board, along with written commentary, describing a day’s imaginative journey from place to place.

Author Photo
By: Highlights Editorial