Summer vacation is in full swing, and trust us, we know you are desperately looking for ways to fill your little one’s spare time! Luckily for you, our blog offers no shortage of fun activities, and this week’s blog is no different. If you’ve got weekends full of playdates to look forward to and need something fun to keep them busy, our super easy DIY Camo Binoculars are just the thing you need! The best part? They match our camo bed tents, making it perfect for all those summer sleepovers. Keep reading for the easy how-to and super fun games to play with them!
How to Make the DIY Camo Binoculars
These awesome binoculars were inspired by Surviving a Teacher’s Salary, and we put our own super special Pacific Play Tents twist on it. If your little one loves to find hidden treasures, search for things and use their imagination, then they will love this DIY!
What You Need
- Printable
- Toilet Paper Rolls
- String, Twine or Yarn
- Sticker Paper
- If you don’t have sticker paper, you can use regular paper and adhere the printable using some type of adhesive
- Scissors
- Glue Gun
How You Make Them
- Print out our printable on sticker paper and cut out
- TIP: If you don’t want to print out the printable, or if you don’t have a printer, you can take this DIY a step further and have your little ones paint or draw a camo design inspired by the printable
- Peel off the sticker backing and wrap the printable around the toilet paper rolls
- Glue the two wrapped rolls together, side by side, with the glue gun
- Once the glue is dry, poke holes in each end and stick the string through
- Wrap the string around the lens on each side for decoration
- Glue the ends of the string down, if needed
Pink Camo Bed Tent
Our Pink Camo Bed Tent encourages imagination at any time of the day! The easy to assemble lightweight frame supports a colorful nylon shell that has a wide opening double tie back style door. A treat for any imaginative child, this bed tent provides a secure play area during the day and a hideout fort at night.
It also has a sewn interior accessory pocket to keep their DIY Camo Binoculars in! A nylon storage bag is included, making it perfect to take to sleepovers! It sits at 77 in X 38 in X 35 in, perfectly fitting any twin bed mattress.
Camo H.Q. Bed Tent
Much like our Pink Camo Bed Tent, our H.Q. Bed Tent is the perfect hideout for imaginative play. It is just as easy to assemble, and the lightweight frame has lots of mesh windows and a wide opening double tie back style door that is secured by radius-cut hook and loop fasteners. That means no cuts or scrapes! Both bed tents also include a built-in hook, which is perfect for hanging a lantern or night light.
You can take these bed tents anywhere from Grandma’s to a full-on camping trip! Every little kid loves to have their own little space, and this bed tent will provide just that and more. It also fits standard size twin bed and is easy to transport and store!
Games and Activities for DIY Camo Binoculars!
Now that you’ve got your DIY Camo Binoculars, it’s time to play some games! While these binoculars obviously do not enhance vision as normal ones do, they do give kids focused tunnel vision. This helps keep them zoned in on one thing, while also throwing off their peripheral vision, making for some pretty funny games and memories!
Scavenger Hunt
Hide an item in the backyard or house and have the children sit in one area. If you have a yard, mark a large circle for the children to sit in using tape or chalk. Using their binoculars, have them scan the yard to find it. The children should call out where they see it, or when hiding multiple items, have them write down the location. Whoever gets it first, wins! Bonus: they become disqualified if they leave the searching circle by overstepping it. You’ll be surprised at how often it happens!
Cloud Watching and Star Gazing
This game is perfect for sleepovers! For a way to unwind during the day, have the little ones use their binoculars to find unique cloud shapes. Just be careful of the sun! At night, use the binoculars to stargaze! All you need is red cellophane to protect their eyes. For more stargazing activities and how to find constellations, check out this blog.
Binocular Balance
You can try this super fun game from Kidspot! In addition to your DIY Camo Binoculars, you’ll need chalk and a stopwatch. Set out your course by drawing a line on the floor or across the yard, or you can use tape or string if you don’t have chalk handy. Challenge each contender to walk along the line while only looking through their binoculars. The players are not allowed to look away from the binoculars or stray from the line, and they cannot remove the binoculars from their face at all. If they do, they are disqualified!
The child who makes the line walk the fastest and straightest is the winner, and if there is more than one winner, reward everyone with a treat! You’ll be surprised how quickly the kid’s reflexes will want them to move the binoculars, and how often they may stumble and miss the line – perfect for silly, giggly summer memories.
Let Us Know!
Did you and your kids make the DIY Camo Binoculars? Do they have the bed tent set up? How are you spending your summer with your kids? Let us know in the comments, or reach out to us on social media. Happy searching!