Play: Homemade Toys – Button Spinner

This is the second part in the homemade toy series. Be sure to check out the marble maze I made first.

So this homemade toy is one from my childhood. I have a very distinct memory of making these as party favors for a birthday party I had when I was young. I have also included a variation that makes it even more fun at the end of this post.

What is it? It’s a button spinner!

You might still be asking what it is. It’s difficult thing to explain what it is, but it’s super easy to show you how to make it.

So first you need a large button and some yarn.

Thread the yarn through two of the button holes, and tie in a square knot. And…you’re finished!

Voila! A button spinner!

Now, how to use it. Position the button in the middle of the yarn, and hold the two end. In a swirling motion, spin the button around and pull out on the yarn. Once it gets started, your hands will be going in and out. Here’s a video so you can see it.

It’s a simple toy, but it can bring joy to the young and the old. Sebastian liked trying to touch it, and I personally just like the feeling of the motion. It’s very soothing.

But to jazz it up a little, here is a color wheel variation.

I have included a print out that you can either color in yourself, using the colors ROY G. BIV, or you can just print off my already colored ones.

Once you have your wheels colored, printer or otherwise, cut them out, including the white circle in the middle.

Then you are going to glue your button spinner in between the two layers. I used a glue gun, but if you have more patience, you could use a slower drying glue, or even tape, just make sure that the button is securely in the middle. You need it to be as balanced as possible.

Once you’ve got the button sandwiched in, dot a few drops of glue around the outside to make it one cohesive wheel. Then, when it’s dry, you spin it like before.

And here’s where something neat happens. When the colors spin fast enough, the wheel starts to look brown or gray. And then you can talk about how in art, black is made up of all the colors. And if you want to go farther you can talk about how when you are talking of light, white is made up of all the colors. And then you can do an experiment to see that! I don’t have one handy, but I’m sure good ole google’s got something.

And just so you can see that one too, here’s the video.

This toy really couldn’t be simpler, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make one, like now!

Just be careful. I like the sound the button makes while it spins, and I tried to get it too close to my ear, and my hair got all tangled in the yarn. I mean….it wasn’t me….my sister did it, yeah, that’s who. 🙂

What homemade toys do you remember from your childhood?

We linked up again!