- Wrap white or colored duct tape in a diagonal line down the noodle.
- Starting at one end, begin applying a generous line of hot glue down pool noodle.
- Begin rolling the noodle like a cinnamon roll.
- Continue to glue and roll the noodle tight until “lollipop” has been created.
- Stick end down well with hot glue.
It’s time to put an end to the enjoyable summertime activities when Fall arrives. For me, that entails emptying the pool and putting all the pool toys away. We have a lot of pool noodles because they are inexpensive and provide hours of entertainment, so this year, rather than putting them away, I decided to make giant lollipops out of them for some Christmas decor. They would also be great for a Candy Land party.
The best thing about this DIY is that each gigantic lollipop only costs a little over $3! *This post contains affiliate links.
Making sure your pool noodles are not overly dried out from summertime fun is the first thing to do. Make sure the pool noodle has some give when you bend it so that it doesn’t crack at the bend. You will glue two pool noodles together once you have chosen them. Allow the glue to dry before using duct tape to secure the middle.
Above, you can see that I wrapped precisely around the area where the two pool noodles are adhered. Although it does not follow the spiral pattern you will be making, it won’t matter when it is all rolled up. This helps it to hold more securely.
Start wrapping the duct tape around the pool noodle’s other end after starting at one end.
Try to wrap it without creating bubbles and without being too tight; you still want it to be able to bend.
Ensure that you hold the pool noodle as you roll it. Maintain a firm hand as you work to glue and roll it into your design because it will take about 5 minutes for the glue to dry and become stable. Finish by securing it with additional hot glue.
To fit your PVC pipe inside the lollipop (or a thick wooden dowel, if you prefer), cut a tiny hole at the bottom. I selected a 3 foot PVC pipe so that the lollipops would reach a height of approximately 5 feet. Add extra glue around the base and let it dry. Wrap your enormous lollipops in cellophane once the glue has dried, and then fasten the bottom with a rubber band and a bow.
I made the decision to line the path leading to my house with gingerbread decorations!
To alter the appearance of the swirls, you can also use thick or thin tape.
Why Turn Pool Noodles Into Lollipops?
Willy Wonka Jr. was recently staged at my son’s middle school. , and he was cast as Grandpa Joe. I volunteered to help with making the show’s props because I’m “that mom.”
When determining what we would require, we thought it would be amusing if the “oompa loompas” used enormous lollipops to row the boat in the stage’s river scene. They were soon being used for everything, including dance props and background staging as well as to dress the candy cart.
We started attempting to make the lollipops after looking at a number of pictures and watching a few quick videos. Contrary to what any of the tutorials we watched suggested, it took more creativity and effort.
We developed a good manufacturing process for them after much trial and error that included a crucial tool that we had never seen used before. Even better, we made it so simple that students helped us create a large number of them.
And fortunately for you, I’m going to explain that procedure today so you don’t have to do it on your own.
Then I pre-cut a hole the size of my PVC pipe, added glue inside the hole, and inserted the pre-cut PVC pipe at the base of the lollipops. The PVC pipe will easily and securely stick to the ground.
There are literally millions of pool noodles in use; at the start of the summer, I purchase at least 25 from Dollar Tree. I was therefore excited to find this YouTube video tutorial on making giant lollipops out of pool noodles for my outdoor Christmas décor. I decided to create an entire outdoor candy land theme for my yard this holiday season as a result of this project idea. Oh, yes, my friends, I was going to win the neighborhood Christmas decoration contest this year. I started by striping (wrapping brightly colored duct tape around the pool noodle to resemble a candy stripe) them after hot-gluing two pool noodles together.
If you want to go one step further and make it appear to be a genuine bonified lollipop, simply wrap your lollipop in cellophane and secure with some string. They looked adorable in my Candy Land-themed yard, but I didn’t win. Instead, my neighbor, who had made Army of Arc Angels, did. I got second place and that’s good enough for me. All the neighbors loved it.
Then, simply start rolling your striped pool noodle into a round lollipop shape with your hot glue gun and glue. At this point, you may need to put some elbow grease into the project.
Step 3: Rolling Your Pool Noodle Lollipop
The most challenging step in making pool noodle lollipops is the set of instructions that follows. The most challenging part is rolling the pool noodles up and getting them to hold.
The pool noodles have a propensity to want to pop back out into a straight line, and it can be very challenging to hold them in a spiral shape.
It helps a lot if you have a second person available to assist you during this step. Additionally, this is a situation where ratchet straps are VERY useful.
Roll the pool noodle tightly into a spiral starting at one end of the two pool noodles that are connected.
Wrap the ratchet strap around the pool noodle and tighten it until the spiral shape is firmly held in place while maintaining a firm grip on it.
If you don’t have a ratchet strap, you could tie the shape together with something else or just have someone else hold it in position. But beware—holding it with your hands can be challenging!
Ratchet straps, which can be tightened without having to remove them from the spiral, are the best material to use for this purpose, in my opinion.
Once your shape is complete, secure the spiral by squeezing glue into the spaces between the layers with a hot glue gun.
Do not be afraid to use PLENTY of glue.
The pool noodle lollipops only require glue to be applied to one side, leaving the other side spotless.
You should wait until the hot glue has fully dried before removing the ratchet strap from the spiral.
FAQ
Can you glue pool noodles together?
Can pool noodles be glued? Yes, glue works well with pool noodles. Use ModPodge, or a clear adhesive like E6000. Glue works best when applied in areas with low stress, like when attaching a flower or ribbon.
