1. Duct Tape Wallets - Fun and easy to make, plus they make great gifts. This is something anyone should be able to do (though little ones may need some help cutting and handling the tape). MAKE has a great video guide on building wallets (as well as PDF templates available for download). You can really be creative with this one, and there is no need to stop at wallets, can you say duct tape stockings?

2. CD Hovercrafts - Here is a great project that is fun for all ages. Take a CD that is bound for the trash, mix in some water bottle pieces from the recycle bin, some glue and a balloon and you have hours of fun on your hands. (Plus it's a great way to get rid of all those AOL CDs or old CD-Rs with obsolete Linux distros burned on them - look in your desk I know you have a few.) NASA has some great instructions up on their site. Once the hovercraft is built, there are an endless number of games you can play, the only limit is your (and the kids) imagination. For some added fun, pick up some cheap CD labels and let the kids decorate their creations.

3. Paperclip Trebuchets - A fun project (what kid doesn't like flinging things across the room) that you can make out of materials you find laying around the house. While I don't recommend shooting them at other people (at least without proper eye protection - think lab goggles) you could could try building a house of cards to shoot at or making targets out of cardboard. Instructables has the instructions for this medieval siege engine turned fun engine.

4. Wine Bottle Rocket - One of my personal favorites from when I was a kid. Take a cork from a wine bottle and tack some crepe paper streamers to the top of it (or not your choice). Then fill the bottle with a little vinegar. Next loosely wrap some baking soda in a tissue. Drop the tissue into the wine bottle. Put the cork on the bottle. Give it a little shake. Set the bottle down and POP! The cork shoots off into the air. (You are going to want to closely supervise/help on this one since, as will most fun activities, you could easily put an eye out with the cork as it can leave the bottle with some force. Just use some common sense and you should be fine.)

5. Paper Airplanes - An oldie but a goody, paper airplanes have been entertaining bored kids and adults for years. With a little bit of Googling you can find hundreds of designs ranging from the mild to the wild (this is one of the best I have found). This is especially fun if you have a second story balcony to launch the planes from. (Just be careful that only paper airplanes get launched of the balcony. I speak from personal experience when I say that the human body has a poor glide ratio.)

Feel free to share your own personal boredom busting favs in the comments.

DIY, childrens activities, duct tape, CD hovercraft, paperclip trebuchet, bottle rocket, paper airplane