{ marshmallow gun }

It's always a challenge to find enough activities to keep school age

children occupied throughout the summer months! Eventually, all of the fun

things begin to get old and you find yourself with a child (and all of their friends) 

asking for advice on fun, new things to do with their time! Luckily for me,

I have a husband who loves to create things as much as I do! So, Jake

saved the day this time! Thank goodness! 

What you'll need:

* 1/2" PVC pipe (approx. 29 inches long)

* 2 - 1/2" "T" connectors

* 2 - 1/2" 90 degree connectors

* 2- 1/2" caps

* Pipe cutter

* Weld-On PVC glue

* Cotton swabs

* Disposable rags

* Spray paint

* Mini marshmallows

First you need to cut your PVC pipe into smaller pieces: 

1- 8" piece 

3- 4" pieces

1- 3" piece

2- 2 3/4" piece

Using the knob on the end of the cutter, you can loosen and 

tighten the pizza cutter like blade. Tighten onto the pipe and spin

it around. Tighten after each spin until the pipe is cut through.

Lay out your pieces to prep for gluing

Marking your pipes before gluing is the best way to ensure everything 

lines up straight. To mark them, assemble the marshmallow gun prior to gluing.

Using a pencil, mark at the joints ( vertically and horizontally ) and then match 

up these markings once you've glued. It is more difficult to make corrections

once the glue has been applied. 

Line these up when you put your pieces back together after gluing.

**This glue can be a real mess! Try very hard not to get it on your clothes

or anything else you don't want ruined. Lay down a disposable rag

or newspaper to work on. Work in a well ventilated area or outside to

avoid fumes.

My husband used a cotton swab instead of the large applicator that comes

 with the glue to avoid dripping as much as possible. Dip your cotton swab in the 

glue. Wipe a generous amount of glue around the outside edge of the pipe.

Moving quickly, wipe a generous amount of glue inside the fitting.

Now, fit the two together, lining up your markings. The glue grabs fast,

so move quickly to make adjustments easier. Use a disposable rag to wipe

any glue that has oozed out. Avoid getting it on your hands.

Continue gluing the pieces together as they are shown in the image above.

Now spray paint! We let my son paint his own (with help)! It turned out

very colorful! Allow the paint to dry over night.

Now gather some ammo 

(aka: mini marshmallows)

Place one mini marshmallow into the top chamber. 

Now blow bursts of air into the chamber. The marshmallow will

shoot out the barrel of the gun! Make sure you teach your child

not to inhale while they prepare to blow the marshmallow out to avoid 

the chance of sucking the marshmallow back into their mouth and possibly choking. 

The marshmallow gun was such a hit with our son's friends that my husband

is now on back order making them! The best part is that it cost a total of $5!