Making Swimming Noodle Ponies


Summer's off?  Bah!  There's always a school project of some kind happening.  This week I've been making stick ponies out of swimming noodles.  Its true that they look a little like seahorses instead of regular horses, but I think that just makes them even more special!

To make these ponies you'll need:
-a swimming noodle (the skinnier ones work best)
-twine, rope or your choice of something for the bridle that you can tie tightly.  Consider using patterned duct tape.  It holds firmly and looks great!
-felt (9 x 12 sheets work well)
-large wiggly eyes
-low temp glue gun and glue

Yes.  You can use a glue gun on the swimming noodle, but trust me you want it to be the low temp kind!

First tie the bend the noodle and tie the twine tightly around it.  If you want you can weave a pipe cleaner around it to add some color after you've tied it on.  I left a little bit of the twine hanging so that it looked line reins, but they are more for looks than for function of any kind.











Next turn the piece of felt long ways and cut a strip about an inch wide.  Cut the ends of it into points for the ears.  Cut the next strip (still looking at the felt long ways) at about 4 inches wide.  Next I folded this wide stripe and cut waves around the edges to create the mane.
Slide the long piece for the ears between the part of the noodle that is folded and pull them up firmly in place.  Glue the ears up.  Hot glue the mane and wiggly eyes in place.  Voila!  Swimming noodle pony!

We'll use these ponies in class for listening and movement activities.  You can learn more about what I do with them in this blog post:  What to Do With Your New Herd


Want to see some more pool noodle crafts for music class?  You might enjoy Steady Beat Swords or Noodle Notes.



47 comments:

  1. UnknownJuly 25, 2012 at 11:08 PM

    Oh Tracy!! These are so cool! I'm going to make a few. Thanks so much for the idea!
    Carla Meiers

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  2. UnknownJuly 25, 2012 at 11:09 PM

    Oh Tracy! These are amazing! Thanks for the great idea.

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  3. ccoffeyJuly 25, 2012 at 11:39 PM

    So cute! I actually have been looking for some online for the same activities. I found some inflatable ones on oriental trading but I like yours MUCH better (and they are more cost effective).

    Thanks for the great idea!

    Cara
    http://miscellaneousme.wordpress.com

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  4. Wynne HuddlestonJuly 26, 2012 at 12:23 AM

    Oh cute! I have some cut in half that I used to make an octopus once (scale). I can't part with them as they come in handy for things like elephants' trunks. Now i have new things to do with them. Great for our circus theme! Thanks!

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  5. Wynne HuddlestonJuly 26, 2012 at 12:24 AM

    Love them! Great for our circus theme!

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  6. lesley-anneJuly 26, 2012 at 4:22 AM

    Tracy, this is SO clever! Thankls for sharing your ideas!

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  7. UnknownJuly 26, 2012 at 2:42 PM

    What great timing. Maybe they will occasionally go on sale in the waning days of summer.

    Sherrie

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  8. UnknownJuly 26, 2012 at 2:43 PM

    Maybe this is in time for some end of summer sales.

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  9. UnknownJuly 27, 2012 at 8:05 AM

    Sweeeeet! Thanks for the idea! The Wild Horseman is one of our UIL Music Memory pieces this year, and I was wondering how I would get stick horses. FYI - the skinny noodles are only a dollar at Wal Mart! Thanks, again!

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  10. UnknownJuly 27, 2012 at 8:07 AM

    Awesome! The Wild Horseman is one of our UIL pieces this year, and I was wondering how I was going to get stick horses. Thanks for the great idea!

    FYI - the skinny pool noodles are only a dollar at Wal-Mart! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Steph July 29, 2012 at 4:04 PM

    I am a new follower and LOVE your blog! I've nominated you for an award! Check out the details on my blog, where I have also featured your blog!
    -Steph

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  12. AnonymousAugust 2, 2012 at 7:59 PM

    How are you going to use these in your classroom?

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  13. Malinda PhillipsAugust 10, 2012 at 9:37 AM

    LOVE! I've been looking for some stick horses of sorts for an activity I've been wanting to do in Kindergarten but haven't found any that don't cost an arm and a leg. You're brilliance will FINALLY let me use that activity! THANKS!

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  14. UnknownSeptember 1, 2012 at 3:46 PM

    very cool idea!


    I linked to your tutorial on my blog - thanks for sharing!

    doro K.

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  15. Anna M.September 28, 2012 at 12:29 PM

    Great idea.

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  16. VikiOctober 12, 2012 at 6:24 AM

    the kids and i made these a couple of days ago... they are having a ball playing with them!

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  17. sabrinaNovember 11, 2012 at 11:50 AM

    Wish I could pin this!

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    Replies
    1. Tracy KingNovember 11, 2012 at 1:43 PM

      You should be able to pin in. Well...depending on what device you are on.

      Delete
  18. UnknownDecember 11, 2012 at 4:08 PM

    I used this for a 6-year-old's Knights and Princesses themed party this past weekend. What a hit! We put badge labels on each one that said: "I belong to..." so as our guests arrived, they each picked a pony to take home. We also used noodles to create swords with duck tape as the handles as well as cardboard shields. One father of a guest told me today that his daughter slept with her pony and her pony helped her open her presents (Her birthday party was the next day). We had races with the ponies and the kids just all ran through the house with their ponies - I suspect they all slept well that night. These take so little work to make but the children and parents were all appreciative because clearly someone thought this through. Great job!

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    Replies
    1. Tracy KingFebruary 7, 2013 at 7:57 AM

      What fun! Thanks for letting me know. I'm so glad to see that this crazy idea has been helpful! :-)

      Delete
  19. UnknownFebruary 6, 2013 at 9:30 AM

    Mrs. King,

    I really like your crafts and would love to feature them on allfreekidscrafts.com. Feel free to browse our site to see if you're interested, and then contact me at jholtzman@primecp.com!

    Best,

    Jaclyn
    Editor at AllFreeKidsCrafts.com

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  20. ChristieMarch 5, 2013 at 9:15 PM

    Just made one for my daughter for her stick horse parade in kindergarten at our school on Friday.
    For the mane, I used fleece fabric. I cut & tied strips like the "tie blankets" down the back of the noodle. My daughter 's so excited- thanks for this great idea!

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  21. Tracy KingMarch 6, 2013 at 3:39 PM

    Sounds adorable!!!

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  22. AnonymousMarch 24, 2013 at 6:12 AM

    Great idea! Do you think that these would actually work in a pool? Looking for an idea for a horse themed pool party ( my Daughter's idea).. Maybe use another type of glue?

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    Replies
    1. Tracy KingMarch 24, 2013 at 8:29 AM

      I think they would work in the pool. The hot glue would probably still stick but you would want to use something different for the mane. Maybe use craft foam or those plastic strips that you can find in the craft section that girls weave into bracelets? Instead of using googly eyes consider using paint pens to draw the eyes on. Good luck! It sounds like fun!

      Delete
  23. SusanApril 25, 2013 at 9:02 PM

    Thanks for the great idea! Just did this for my daughter's 5th birthday party. You can read about it on my blog - http://buzzcutsandponytails.com/. It was a huge hit!

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  24. JanApril 27, 2013 at 5:24 AM

    Brilliant!!! My Grandkids will think I'm a genius!

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  25. KatieMay 6, 2013 at 12:37 PM

    These horses are so cute and very clever! I have included it in my What Can You Make with a Pool Noodle Round Up. If for any reason you would like me to exlude your project please let me know and I will take it out immediately.

    Thanks again for sharing!

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  26. UnknownMay 14, 2013 at 12:46 PM

    We are making these for Vacation Bible School this year as a craft project!! Thank you for the adorable idea! :)

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  27. Kristen DastrupMay 15, 2013 at 4:38 PM

    I made some pool noodle ponies for my girls and they loved them. I made them into characters from My Little Pony. Thank you so much! If you'd like to see pictures of the ponies I made check them out at http://funfilledflicks.com/?p=21.

    Thanks again for the wonderful idea!

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  28. AnonymousMay 18, 2013 at 7:11 PM

    To much fun. I'm making one for all my grandbabies.The only thing I will do differently is make the baby's shorter.

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  29. AnonymousJune 18, 2013 at 11:20 AM

    I'd love to put this on the PBS Parents website! Please email me at dlsteinberg@pbs.org for details. Thanks!

    Best,
    Danielle

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  30. Cindy deRosierJune 27, 2013 at 9:49 AM

    I'm the Editorial Assistant for Fun Family Crafts and I wanted to let you know that we have featured your pool noodle pony project! You can see it here:

    http://funfamilycrafts.com/pool-noodle-ponies/

    If you have other kid friendly crafts, we'd love it if you would submit them. If you would like to display a featured button on your site, you can grab one from the right side bar of your post above. Thanks for a wonderful project idea!

    ReplyDelete
  31. AnonymousJuly 1, 2013 at 1:32 PM

    Hi! I'm a freelancer for Inhabitots.com. I was hoping to write about your ponies. Can you please email me at kellyjoyladd@gmail.com and let me know if I can use your image? Thanks so much!
    Kelly

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  32. UnknownJuly 3, 2013 at 12:35 PM

    Hello! I 'd love to use your ponies on Inhabitots.com. Can you please email me to give me permission? Thank you, Kelly
    kellyjoyladd@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  33. AnonymousJuly 24, 2013 at 5:23 PM

    Going to make these with my Vacation Bible School preschool class, can't wait!

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  34. Spicy GJuly 28, 2013 at 6:34 PM

    Thank you so much for this FABULOUS idea! I made them for Kingdom Rock VBS and I had the kids joust with them!

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  35. Day Thomas-SmithJuly 28, 2013 at 11:09 PM

    FYI, my husband and I went to the Grand Canyon recently. I surprised him with our two best friends from out of state as camping companions. And my girlfriend and I made these so we could have Grand Canyon mule rides! Complete with hats, mustaches, bandanas, and mules, we were quite a sight walking on the trail of the Canyon. Thanks for the idea!!!

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  36. Day Thomas-SmithJuly 28, 2013 at 11:10 PM

    My husband and I recently went to the Grand Canyon, and I surprised him with dear friends as camping companions. My girlfriend and I surprised our husbands by making these and having our own "chartered Grand Canyon mule rides". Complete with hats, mustaches, bandanas, and mules with bridles, we were quite a sight on the trails of the Canyon. Thanks for the idea!!

    ReplyDelete
  37. AnonymousAugust 11, 2013 at 7:27 PM

    Just got done making 11 of these for my daycare kiddos. The fair is in town this week and the rodeo is the next 2 days, so we are celebrating with western days tomorrow and these cute ponies will be a hit for our western celebration. THANKS!

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    Replies
    1. Tracy KingAugust 11, 2013 at 8:33 PM

      Sounds like fun! Hope you have a great time with your ponies! :-)

      Delete
  38. Ivana L.January 30, 2014 at 8:16 PM

    Thank you so much for this idea and tutorial..I made one today myself..I added a nose and the mane isnt glued on, but I cut 0.5cm into the head and then slid the individual mane hairs inside and then glued it on the side on several point...:) I only had a hot glue gun, so I applied it on the felt parts, let it cool for few seconds and then glued it on, it worked perfekt and it didn't melt the noodle :) thank again, my daughter loves it!!! :) here is a link to a picture of it http://goo.gl/7Fy573

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  39. Ivana L.January 30, 2014 at 8:18 PM

    Thank you so much for this idea and tutorial, I made one today myself :)

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  40. Ivana L.January 30, 2014 at 9:50 PM

    Here is the link to my blog post where I mentioned you :) http://ideaivana.blogspot.co.at/2014/01/swimming-noodle-pony.html

    ReplyDelete
  41. The Stepford wifeMay 15, 2014 at 9:13 AM

    Thank you for inspiring us for this easy and quick craft, the kids really enjoyed it and play it all the time with it. You can see the photo of our horse here http://stepfordska-supruga-en.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-pool-noodle-toy-horse.html

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  42. AnonymousApril 23, 2015 at 6:35 PM

    Hi...I LOVE your ponies and have written this song to teach my preschoolers about tempo. They were so excited to ride them every week! Kristin https://littleminstrels.bandcamp.com/track/presto-ponies

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  43. AlyssaMay 2, 2017 at 12:43 PM

    What a cute craft. I am featuring this on a cowboy birthday party roundup on my site.

    ReplyDelete