This summer to help keep us busy and stop those cries of ‘I’m bored’ VARTA have set a series of Creative Summer Challenges. L and I have been having a blast completing them and learning something new, so it is my pleasure to share them with you. 
#PoweringtheMoment
VARTA Creative Summer Challenge #3 – Homemade Lamp
I’ll admit, this should have actually been the fourth challenge, but making a motor with a four year old is proving challenging, I’ll catch you up on that when we’ve worked it out though.
Creating a homemade lamp on the ptherhand was really, simple, really effective and the look of pride on L’s face was worth it all.
With a string of multi coloured LEDs on copper wire and some VARTA batteries, we turned one of my empty gin bottles into the most gorgeous lamp.
I’ve a collection of pretty gin bottles I cannot bring myself to part with, so this was the perfect use for one. I love that I’ve found a way to use them and it’s such an inexpensive way to add some light into our home. I’m genuinely really chuffed with the finished product and it took us five minutes. 
First we popped the batteries in and I explained how they must be lined up correctly for them to work, so L happily matched the positive and minus signs against those in the battery box and after being shown how to insert one of the batteries finished off the task.
We then checked he had done it correctly by turning the lights on, he was so pleased with himself and felt really grown up knowing how to change the batteries. 
Then we fed the string of lights into the bottle, stopping occasionally to poke them with a stick to spread them out evenly. L did this all by himself.
We made sure to leave enough wire out so that it could run down the back of the bottle and allow the battery pack to sit on the floor. I’m sure if you had the equipment an older children you could actually drill a small hole in the base of the bottle, but this wasn’t something I was ever planning on doing with L. 
When we had finished L turned the lights on and happily watched them sparkle in the bottle, he says we have to keep it out for Christmas, I pointed out that I loved the lamp he made me so much I would never put it away.
When his Daddy got home from work he was so happy to show him the lamp he had made and explain how he had learnt to put the batteries in and had to match up the symbols and asked if his Daddy was proud of him. I think it’s more than fair to say he was and is very proud!
A brilliant and easy challenge from VARTA, that we will be repeating as I’ve just ordered more lights to fill up some of my other empty bottles.
For more inspiration check out:
Challenge #1 – Build a Potato Clock
Disclosure – VARTA have provided us with all the kit to complete our summer challenges. All thoughts, opinions and images are my own.