DIY Rolling Rattle

I wish I had made this rattle with my first baby!! It's so fun for 0 - 9 mo + babies to roll and shake and it makes a really pleasing sound! All you need is two plastic jar lids (2 3/4" diameter like a small peanut butter jar), a few pouch lids (I used 4 different colored lids), cardboard, and 4, 12" long, 1/4" wooden dowels. You will also need hot glue, a single hole puncher, a pencil, scissors or a crafting knife, and a serrated knife.

Use a pencil to trace the lids onto a piece of cardboard and cut out the circles with scissors or a crafting knife. It helps to cut just a bit in from the line you drew so that the circle will fit inside the lid. Or you can cut it down a bit once you have cut out the initial circle. 

Mark where the holes for 8 dowel pieces will be on one of the cardboard circles. I placed mine about 1/4" from the edge of the circle and spaced them roughly evenly (about 3/4" apart from centerline to centerline of the dowels). Use the hole puncher to punch the 8 holes. Now, place the circle with the holes on top of the other cardboard circle. With the pencil, trace within the holes to mark the locations on the second cardboard circle. Punch the holes out on the second circle.

Cut the four dowels in half using a serrated knife. Push one through each hole in one of the cardboard circles. Place one of the jar lids upside down. You will be applying hot glue and inserting the dowels—work quickly so the hot glue doesn’t dry too soon. Apply hot glue to the inside of the jar lid, where the ends of the dowels will lie. Apply hot glue to the outer edge of the cardboard circle as well on the side that will face down in the lid. Place the dowels that have been inserted into one of the cardboard circles into the hot glue and push the cardboard down into the lid so it is roughly level with the rim of the jar lid.

Place three or four pouch lids (or whatever else you would like to use that is larger than the space between the dowels) in the space between the dowels. Repeat the process of gluing the ends of the dowels and the cardboard circle in the remaining jar lid.

Let the glue cool and harden and you have a fun toy!