Ways to use this list
- School project week: students spin from School and science, then write a materials list, a prediction and a fair test before they build.
- Craft afternoon with kids: press For kids and spin. Most of those projects use cardboard, string, paint and things from the recycling box.
- One make a month at home: adults spin from For adults in January and keep a photo diary of the year's projects.
- Upcycling swap: friends each bring something old, spin an Upcycling idea and show off the results a week later.
- Engineering students: treat the spin as a design brief, then add limits such as 20 parts, one hour or no glue to make it a real challenge.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (55 entries)
- Build a raised garden bed
- Put up floating shelves
- Paint a feature wall
- Upcycle an old chest of drawers
- Make a fabric headboard
- Build a bird box
- Make a planter from an old pallet
- Sew cushion covers
- Make a key holder
- Mosaic a tabletop
- Make a spice rack
- Build a simple bench
- Make a hanging wall planter
- Knot a macramé plant hanger
- Turn crates into a bookshelf
- Hang a gallery wall
- Make a coat rack from a branch
- Paint old furniture
- Make a herb box for the window
- Build a compost bin
- Make a pegboard tool wall
- Re-cover a chair seat
- Make a pine cone bird feeder
- Paint plant pots
- Make a sock puppet
- Build a cardboard castle
- Make a tin-can telephone
- Make salt dough decorations
- Make a kite
- Make friendship bracelets
- Build a bug hotel
- Make a jar terrarium
- Decorate a T-shirt
- Make a bookmark
- Make a pinhole camera
- Build a cardboard marble run
- Make paper bead jewellery
- Build a bridge from craft sticks
- Make a balloon-powered car
- Wire a simple circuit with a buzzer
- Make a solar oven from a cardboard box
- Build a sand and gravel water filter
- Make a periscope
- Build a craft-stick catapult
- Make a rain gauge
- Build a wind-powered car
- Make an egg drop protector
- Build a syringe hydraulic arm
- Make a model wind turbine
- Build a lemon battery
- Build an electromagnet
- Turn jars into fairy-light lanterns
- Make a tote bag from an old T-shirt
- Turn tins into desk organisers
- Make coasters from old tiles
Questions people ask
What are easy DIY projects for beginners?
Start with projects that need few tools and forgive mistakes: painting old furniture, a key holder, a herb box, cushion covers or a gallery wall. Each one teaches a basic skill such as measuring, drilling or sewing a straight line.
Which DIY projects can kids do safely?
Sock puppets, salt dough, bug hotels, painted pots, a tin-can telephone and cardboard castles are all good with a grown-up nearby. Adults should handle sharp knives, hot glue guns and drills, and check that tin edges are smooth before children use them.
What are good DIY project ideas for school?
Projects with something to test make the best school work: a craft-stick bridge that holds weights, a balloon-powered car that races, an egg drop protector, a solar oven or a lemon battery. Press School and science for the full set.
What tools do I need to start DIY at home?
A small kit goes a long way: a tape measure, a pencil, screwdrivers, a hammer, a spirit level, sandpaper, a cordless drill, and safety glasses for anything that drills, cuts or sands.