Create the cutest, most entertaining back-to-school prop ever with inexpensive pool noodles from the dollar store! These can be used as classroom decorations, first-day-of-school photo props, or even just to have pencil sword fights with (ahem…) my kids)! You can quickly make an entire box of these pencils with a few basic supplies!
Paint Noodles: Make sure to spray your noodles in an area with good ventilation before painting them. I had to spray, let dry, turn, spray, let dry, turn, etc. until the noodles were fully coated, so I sprayed the noodles about four times. After the noodles are completely coated, cut them in half so that each noodle yields two pencils.
Tape and glue it all together.
Once you have your three pieces, put them all together. Duct tape is all that is required to secure the eraser in place. This serves as the silver/metal part of the eraser, too. To keep everything intact, we adhered the pencil tip using hot glue.
Make your pencil tip.
Making a pencil tip template is simple and only requires cream-colored paper. Using this sample as a reference, you are essentially cutting an eighth of a circle out of an eight. Five by eleven-inch piece of paper that you will subsequently bind together to form a cone We recommend including little notches in the template. You will fold that and then adhere it to the top of your pool noodle using glue.
Cut the noodles to make your pencil.
You can cut your pencil to any length you choose! Some teachers have even made enormous pencils for doors or bulletin boards by using the entire noodle! Alternatively, you could use a smaller pencil that children can pick up and customize, like the one we used here.
Next, we advise using just a few inches of the red pool noodle for the pencil’s eraser. However, you might aim for five or six inches if you have a very large pencil.
