Being a single mother, I know sometimes it’s hard to find fun things for kids to do that doesn’t really cost anything. With that being said, I’ve decided to start a new category here called “Trash to Treasure”. (No, I did not come up with the idea, though I’d like to take credit for it, since it’s kinda neat.) The whole idea behind Trash To Treasure is coming up with fun games or projects that you and your children can do that don’t require any money. You just use items you already have or that you would normally throw out. My first trash to treasure project is called bottle bowling. We did it, and it was pretty cool.

Bottle Bowling

1. Wash and dry 10 plastic bottles. (20 oz coke bottles work best)
2. Fill them with shredded paper or at least halfway with water. This keeps them from falling over too easily. Put the caps on tightly.
3. Set up your bottles in a triangle on a large flat surface.
4. Stand about 10 feet away from the bottles and roll a ball, trying to knock over as many bottles as possible. Set the bottles back up.
5. If you want to keep score, take two rolls per turn, trying to knock over as many pins (bottles) as you can. Set the pins back up after each turn. You get ten turns in a regular game. Add up the pins from each turn to see how many points you have scored. If you are playing with another player, then alternate turns.

Fun/helpful ideas:
1. Decorate the bottles with markers and stickers. To make them look like bowling pins, place red stickers around the outside of the bottles near the top.
2. If you don’t have a rubber ball to use, try making your own ball out of wadded-up aluminum foil.

Have fun bowling!