Homemade Sponge Balls

Preparation

• Search your home for unused sponges. You can use sponges of any size but find some that do not have a scratch pad on the back because the rough texture can irritate skin. If you cannot find any sponges in your home, purchase a package of soft, multicolor ones. Consider buying an array of sizes, so you can make a series of balls, and children can choose a shape they prefer.

Sponge Ball Instructions

• Use a ruler and a pencil to make straight lines lengthwise on each of the sponges. Leave approximately a half-inch of space between each line. It is important to keep each strip the same size, so adjust the half-inch up or down to reach appropriate measurements. Use sharp scissors to cut along the lines. Fabric scissors are an ideal choice because you want a clean edge for each strip of sponge so the ball is uniform. Cut enough strips to stack three rows of six sponge strips, aligning all the ends together. You can add one more row comfortably for an extra squishy ball, but three rows is the minimum.

  Find a piece of string that is longer than the width of the three rows and lay it under the center of the pile, perpendicular to the directions of the sponge strips. Pull the ends up around the strips and tie them together tightly to cinch the center of the sponge pieces together. The ends of each strip will fan out, but you may need to adjust them to encourage a round form.

Sponge Ball Game

• Help your children set up two barriers on opposite sides of a room or outdoors intended for hiding places during an organized summer snowball fight with sponge balls. Divide the group of children into two teams and make a line between the two barriers that each team cannot cross. Give each team a batch of sponge balls and inform them that when someone is struck by a ball, they are out of the game until the end. The team that has at least one player left when all the other team's players are out wins the game.