Making a Rubber Band Ball

I have always been tempted to buy the rubber band balls at the office stores. They seem like a decent way to store extra rubber bands and honestly just seems like a fun thing to play around with too! But instead of spending the money on one I decided to make my own since I had a huge bag of assorted rubber bands laying around.

Approximate Time: 30 minutes

Supplies:

• rubber bands, assorted sizes and widths
• marble or bouncy ball, optional

Instructions:

1. There are a few ways to get started with your rubber band ball. You need a good solid core, it is best to use either a marble or bouncy ball. If you don't have either of those handy you can create a core using a few thick rubber bands.

   Marble or bouncy ball core: If you choose to use a marble or bouncy ball, you will start your rubber band ball by wrapping a rubber band around your object. Then turn it and wrap one across your first one, creating an X.

   Rubber band core: If you choose to make your core with rubber bands, it is best to choose a few wider, thicker rubber bands. Start by flattening your rubber band and then rolling it it up into a ball shape. Then take another one and wrap it around to secure it in the ball. Then turn your core and wrap a rubber band across your first one, creating an X.

2. Continue turning your ball and wrapping new rubber bands, criss-crossing previous ones and ultimately covering the entire core. The more you rotate and change direction the more round your rubber band ball will be. When an area appears flatter, round it out by wrapping a rubber band there.

3. It is important to keep the rubber bands tight, particularly at the beginning. This will hold your ball together. Initially you will need to wrap the rubber bands around a few times to get them tight, but as your ball gets bigger, you will only need to wrap them around the ball once.

Note: One thing I discovered is the rubber bands really dried out my fingers and I needed to apply lotion afterwards. It was fun to make though! :)

By Laurel from Port Orchard, WA