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I am a huge fan of crafts made with supplies I pretty much have on hand. When my son says “I’m bored!” I like having a project available for him to do. Because of that, I tend to save things like bottles and straws in a bag in our pantry– they make the COOLEST homemade toys!

One thing I love is plastic bottles that float, and I also love when we get to enjoy the drink inside of them first!

So, when I saw SunnyD on Rollback at Sam’s Club, I knew that it was worth picking up a couple of cases. Not only is it unapologetically fun to drink, it’s got the perfect floating bottles for crafting! (And, since it’s on Rollback through the first week of August for $5.38 for a 24-pack, it’ll make for a fun summer of crafts, too. You can find it in a special endcap in the refrigerated section).

Step one of this DIY requires drinking some SunnyD! We love tossing these bottles into our bag for trips to the park, or enjoying them around the house.

Once you’ve got your bottles, you can wash them and let them air-dry, then remove the labels.

Cut the bottles in half– you should be able to get 1-2 boats from each bottle. You can also leave a few whole and try those as boats, too– we made a few of each kind of boat, and realized that they both floated a little differently!

Using a cool-melt glue gun, you’ll want to glue the lid on for your child (parents, you do this step to avoid any little fingers getting burnt– cool-melt glue is still hot!). Again, you can try a few boats without the lid– I encourage you to let your children experiment with different styles of boats to see how they float differently.

Now, it’s time to decorate. Using paint, stickers, tape, and more, encourage your kids to make the boats their own unique design! My son is a fan of blue, so we painted this one to reflect that!

Once the boats are dried, bring out the cool-melt glue gun again and attach a mast. We liked using paper straws, but there are a ton of things you can use– twigs from the yard, skewers (careful with the tip!), or even drink umbrellas make great masts!

For a sail, cut two slits in a piece of sturdy card stock, craft foam, or other materials, then place it onto the straw.

This is another instance where different materials change how the boat floats, and whether or not it tips, so again, let your kids experiment. If the boat tips to one side, can they fix it with foam rudders or wings? What if they add a little weight to one side? Help them go through a brainstorming process to figure out how to keep the boat balanced.

Then, it’s time to take to the waves! We loved playing with the boats in our sand-and-water table, but you can have fun with them at bathtime, in your kitchen sink, or in a wading pool!

These boats also allow for great brainstorming opportunities– can your child get the boat to sail without using their hands? How many pebbles can the boat hold before it sinks? Trial and error makes this activity more than just placing boats on water– it turns it into a true delight of science and engineering!

If your kids are the competitive type, have them hold their own Recycled Regatta and see who can get their boat to cross the finish line first– no hands allowed!

I’m pretty sure the winner should enjoy some SunnyD after, though… in fact, maybe SunnyD all around!

I want to know how your family plans to have fun this summer– let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out WhereFunBegins.net for more great ideas on summer fun!

Want more fun ways to re-use bottles this summer? Check out this recycled bottle city craft!