A gymnastics mushroom is an important piece of training equipment for a boy gymnast. Named because it looks a bit like a mushroom, this piece of equipment is used to work on skills that can eventually be transferred to a pommel horse. They are available to purchase from several gymnastics companies, but if they are a little out of your price range, you can also make your own basic mushroom to use at home.
When my husband (a former competitive gymnast) was a child, his dad built him a gymnastics mushroom to use in their garden. He used it for several years, eventually donating it to his gymnastics club when he left home for university. So when our own boys wanted to practise their gymnastics skills at home, it was time for dad and grandad to join forces and create another homemade mushroom!
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What you’ll need to make your DIY gymnastics mushroom
A builder’s cable reel. This will form the main part of your gymnastics mushroom. You can usually pick these up for a few pounds, or sometimes even free, on Facebook Marketplace. You’ll need a medium-sized one, that’s big enough for your child to put both of their hands on, about a shoulder width apart, but not too big for them to swing their hips around comfortably.
Carpet underlay.
Stanley knife.
How to make your mushroom
- Measure the top of your cable reel, and then cut a circle of the same size from your carpet underlay.
- Cut several more circles, getting slightly smaller each time, until you’ve made enough to create a pile of about 20-30cms high.
- Pile your underlay circles up in size order, and then stick them together with the spray adhesive. Glue this pile on top of your cable reel.
- Pull the leatherette tightly over the top of your cable reel and staple it securely underneath.
- If you have hard floors, add another circle of underlay to the bottom of your cable reel to protect your flooring.
Once you are happy that your completed mushroom is stable, then it’s time to grab your gymnast and get them to test it out!
I hope that this guide to creating your own gymnastics mushroom has been useful to you. If you know anyone else who would like this post, please do share it on your social media!
This is such a great idea especially since gymnastics equipment can be so expensive, the mushroom shape of these is so cute aswell