T'smom Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I saw this on Pinterest today and I am LOVING this idea! http://tpcraft.blogspot.com/2014/02/giant-spool-upcycled-into-outdoor.html I wanted to share it and also get ideas about how to adapt this idea. I don't have a giant spool! Or, really, any idea where to get one- though I did post it on fb and hopefully someone will have a good idea. Anyway, if I can't find a giant spool, what could I substitute? I would want it to be outdoor friendly and thin enough that I could cut holes in it for the bowls. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 Bump! No one has any ideas? I think this is such a cool idea! I LOVE that the bowls are recessed so they don't move while kids are mixing stuff up- but they can be popped out and cleaned so easily! My brain has been spinning with all the ways this could be used! I saw on another blog that someone was able to get a spool from Lowes and Home Depot was also willing to give her one if she came by at the right time. So I plan on checking out those stores! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 That looks neat! When my boys were younger their favorite "toys" were baking soda and vinegar. They also making little rockets with film canisters. I don't think film canisters are so easy to get hold of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I am absolutely not crafty or handy, but could you use plywood for the top and some other kind of wood for the legs and nail them together? Maybe? I love it too and thanks for sharing! I'm going to see if I can get my husband to help me come up with something. I love the recessed bowls so, so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 WOW!! My children would LOVE this! Thank you so much for posting it. Older ds has already turned my laundry room into a science lab, but an outdoor space that he can share with his little brother would be so awesome! It sounds like hardware stores would be the place for the spools. What would originally come on a spool that big? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I just learned that utility companies have these spools, so if you can't get one from a hardware store, check your phone company or power line installers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 I guess hardware stores sell cables that come on the spools? I haven't been able to check it out yet- I have a sick baby that won't let me put him down. When I asked for suggestions on Facebook, people told me to check out utility/electrical companies. One friend has one sitting in a back pasture that a cable company left there. Unfortunately, she lives several states away! :( I would think that just plywood would rot pretty quickly being left outside? I actually have two tables in the garage tht I have been looking for something to do with, but I don't think they would stand up to being outside. I've been thinking that when I get this constructed, I would keep a big plastic bin of bottles of things like soap and vinegar, containers of things like baking soda. Maybe salt, flour, veggie oil- stuff to make play doh or bubble soultion. Syringes and eye droppers that come with kids medicines. I LOVED the bloggers idea of putting things in pump bottles. I am definitely going to start saving those! My 4 year old would be thrilled with just mixing colored water together! My ds will be in 3rd grade next year and we are doing chemistry in science! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 I just learned that utility companies have these spools, so if you can't get one from a hardware store, check your phone company or power line installers. They will be on my list of places to check! If I find a place that I can get several for free/cheap, I'm making them for all my nieces/nephews too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I was concerned about water and food colouring leaving stains, so for our indoor "lab" I bought several different colours of dish soap. Ds can add water and mix them together and the colour washes off everything. He started off with three, but over time he has added three more as we've found them on sale. He gets really excited when he gets a new colour soap! We use Dawn detergent, but not the antibacterial ones. He also has salt, rice, vinegar, baking powder, and aluminum foil in his lab. He has a plastic test tube set that gets a lot of use: http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Jumbo-Test-Tubes/dp/B004ALRJKE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429473263&sr=8-1&keywords=learning+test+tubes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 Different colors of dish soap is brilliant! I also had reservations about using food coloring in the water because of staining. It would be less of a concern outside, but it could still stain clothes. Sometimes I set up trays with baking soda in the bottom and little bowls of colored vinegar and let them use eye droppers to make tiny colored eruptions. Dd especially likes to mix the colors. I may be more excited about this than the kids! The test tubes look cool too! Thanks for the idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 I made it to Home Depot last night and they said I was welcome to have a spool if I came when they had an empty one. But looking at the spools got me thinking. All I really need is a base and a round piece of wood. I could paint the wood to make it more outdoor resistant? Or maybe treat it with whatever it is that they treat decks with? I'm still thinking about the best way to make this happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 What about upcycling an old wood coffee table? Maybe spray painting it with an outdoor paint ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 That thought did occur to me. I actually have an old train table I might be able to use. It has raised edges to keep things from falling off, but it might be low enough that it wouldn't get in the kids way. I also thought about looking at thrift stores for old entertainment centers or coffee tables. At first, I thought I would need something more rugged to last outside, but honestly, I don't need it to last forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 When, for the first time, I walked into the kitchen of our current home, I saw our future science lab. The stove has a pot filler and right behind the stove is an island with a sink. I bought some big iron ring stands which fit perfectly over the gas range eyes. A cabinet beside the stove stores all the glassware. Well, that has grown to two closets and here cabinets, but who is counting, right? In the house before that, we had converted the Thomas the Train table to a mini place to do science along with a Pottery Barn art table. We also used a child's wooden kitchen set a couple of times during the preschool and first grade years. The little refrigerator made the perfect place to put plants in to shield from light. Whatever, you decide, I hope you manage to affix storage to the table in some way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Guess who's DH came home last night with a big spool? :). He got it from a place that does electrical installation. Now I need to find bowls -- hopefully the dollar store has some the right size. We definitely need to sand the spool and will probably paint it with an outdoor deck paint. We're going to get this "chemistry" set for our 2yo so he has his own science tools that look like his brother's: http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Primary-Science-Lab/dp/B00LD6UI9I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429970264&sr=8-1&keywords=learning+kids+chemistry+set 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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