 |
| Left, the finished doll sized water cooler measures 11" tall. Right, you can see that the "water" container may be screwed off and filled with real liquid if you'd like that detail in your doll office or hospital. See the old-fashioned version of a "water cooler" here. |
A water cooler, is a machine that cools or heats up and dispenses water with a refrigeration unit. It is commonly located near the restroom due to closer access to plumbing. A drain line is also provided from the water cooler into the sewer system. Bottled water dispensers typically use 11- or 22-liter (5- or 10-gallon) dispensers commonly found on top of the unit. Your dolls may wish to have their own water cooler for a classroom, doll hospital, office or camping trip. The following craft is made with a recycled bottle with it's lid and a box so be on the look out to acquire these from the kitchen before they are tossed into the recycling bin. Make sure the bottle is cleaned out with soap and water too.
Supply List:
- a recycled bottle with screw top lid
- a recycled box
- paper or paint to cover the box
- white school glue
- an Exacto knife (adult supervision)
- push pin (tack) for spout
- small elements from a pen (optional) or straw for spout
- Mod Podge (optional)
- hot glue and hot glue gun
 |
| Left, see how I have cut a whole for the dispenser nozzle and room for a cup. Right, I'm going to hot glue my faux water jug to the box, cap end down. |
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Aquire a tall narrow box approximately 7" tall for the cooler's stand.
- Cut a square opening into it for the water nozzle and also a doll sized cup to fit underneath it comfortably.
- Using scrap cardboard, wall this feature in and cover it with paper.
- The nozzle is only for looks, not real running water. I glued a transparent push pin into the back wall and then glued a recycled pen tip to the front of the pin to shape a kind of a nozzle.
- I also glued in a water tray at the bottom to make the water cooler dispenser look realistic.
- Cover the rest of the stand with paper or paint. I used a pale mint colored paper and white school glue for this part of the process.
- Empty and peal off the label of recycled water jug dispenser. I chose to use a container that once contained chicken bouillon cubes because this looked most like a modern water jug to me.
- Turn this upside down and hot glue the lid to the top of the water stand/cabinet. (see pictures)