Backpack Keychain Craft

Let your little latchkey kid lock up in style!

Submitted by
Traci

Have your kid make this cool double-duty keychain/coin holder out of a plastic clip and a bottle. He'll be good to go with his cash and keys all in one place with this craft. Now if only you were that organized!

Prescription pill bottle, film canister or some little jar or vial about that size.
If you pick a prescription bottle, just make sure to clean it out before you use it.
A small spiky rubber ball
Get them cheap at the dollar store.
Construction paper
Just one piece will do.
Big googly eyes
Needle-nose pliers
A safety pin
Hot-glue gun:
Kids and hot glue don't mix, so make sure you do all the gluing.
A carabineer:
Look at the dollar store, craft store or outdoor store and buy a cheapie one.
Superglue
A keychain on a ring:
Buy one at your local hardware or crafts store.
Embellishments:
Small pom-poms, craft foam scraps, buttons, yarn, etc.
Hot-glue gun and glue sticks:
Kids and hot glue don't mix, so make sure you do all the gluing!
Scissors

Get your kid to remove all the stickers from the bottle.
Remove the cap and use the safety pin to poke a hole 1/2 inch down from the top of the bottle. This is definitely a grown-up job and even you should be super-careful!
Next, make hole bigger by sticking one side of the needle nose pliers nail into the hole.
Have your kid pull out his favorite color of construction paper and lay the medicine bottle down in one corner of it.
Now, for a math lesson: Help your kid measure the height of the bottle and mark it on the paper.
Using the hole you poked as a guide, roll the medicine container one turn and mark with a pen—this will be the circumference of the bottle. Help your kid connect the marks to make a long rectangle and cut out.
Have your kid glue the paper onto the bottle to cover it.
Using the safety pin, re-poke the hole from the inside to poke through the construction paper.
Next, let your kid glue a face onto the bottle using googly eyes, pom-poms for the nose and craft foam for the mouth. Let it dry.
Using about 3 inches of the keychain, open up the last loop of the chain with the needle nose pliers to straighten it.
Push it through the hole in the bottle and then bend the chain on the inside so it won't slip out.
Use the pliers to bend the other end around to close the loop outside of the bottle so the chain won't fall apart.
Next, attach the keychain ring to the end of the chain and attach the carabineer to the keychain ring.
Use superglue to glue the spiky rubber ball to the top of the lid of the bottle to make the hair.
When everything is dry, have your kid fill the container with lunch money or his key and put the lid back on.
Let your kid attach the carabineer to his backpack and tote his kooky new friend (and his cash) to school!