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The tubing I
use is
called Tygon tubing. This is a clear, rather stiff tubing.
Naturally, you want food grade tubing. Where I
live,
shopping can be a problem & the best source I found was the
aquarium supply
section of a pet store. Yes, it has to be food grade for
fish,
because
some of them are EXTREMELY sensitive to chemical contaminants in their
water. Our pet stores carry it in lengths of about 2 feet
&
it's
1/8" inner diameter.
Of course you have no idea where it's been, so the first
thing you
want to
do with it is put it in a pot of water with a couple tbsp of vinegar -
white
vinegar will smell less than other kinds - and boil it for 1/2 hour.
This also
removes mold release and plasticizer from the surface & in that
time, if the piece
isn't
too long, even the inside will get nice & clean.
You need round elastic from a fabric store or craft
store.
Fabric
stores carry basic white & black. Craft stores may
have
colors.
Cut a piece of elastic long enough to go over your child's
head
when
stretched slightly, leaving a few inches to tie a knot with when you're
done. Put a piece of the cleaned tubing on it, about 6"
long.
For a girl, fill up the rest with pony beads. These are
available
at
craft stores & the craft section of WalMart, in pretty much all
colors of
the rainbow. Your daughter can pick her colors & the
pattern.
When you're done, tie a knot. This will come undone unless
you
add a dab
of glue like Elmer's or hit it with a glue gun. When the glue's dry or
cool,
you can trim the ends. The advantage of using the round
elastic
is that
you don't have a long dangly thing in front. The child just
stretches the
elastic to chew the tubing.
For boys, I recommend the black elastic & a few beads
for a
more
"masculine" look.
Any other beads with a big enough hole will work, too.
Because of
the
recent fad for animals made from pony beads, they're what's readily
available.
Here's what one of them looks like [slightly used:-)]:
