number shake box

i don't know if i was just in a sheltered school system before or if this school is really awesome but they have a really cool way of teaching the kids things.   my son just started the first year of school, (in germany 1st grade even though the word kindergarten is german.   that's another story)   they learn everything at once it seems.   as they learn letters, they also learn words and syllables and sentences.    in math, they learn their numbers but also addition at the same time.   the pages they do are set up so that they are learning everything at once.   it's pretty cool.  

now that they are doing more addition, they have these shake boxes at school and worksheets to go with them.   my son wanted one at home because, let's face it, it's loud and active.   i think they have different boxes for each number but we made a multi functional one.

super easy and free to make

you have a worksheet with a number at the top and places to separate pieces of the number under it.   just look at the picture and you will get it.   they fill in dots for each bead and then write the numbers in the space on the right.   shake it several times to see the different ways each number can be made.

you could use sticky notes to put the total number in the lid if you wanted, this was a on the spot thing so it's just basic.

i used a sandwich box that had a hinge wearing out.  a duct taped hinge works for a shake box but isn't great for food since it doesn't wash well.   perfect solution to two problems.    flip top is probably easier, you could use a shoe box or just make one from a cereal box.

i cut a piece from a cereal box and folded it in the middle and duct taped it in.   you want to separate the sides but it needs to leave space to let the beads move freely between sides.   i left it with a bit of a slope so the beads would roll to the sides and be easier to count, (and because it was easier to keep it from flopping around this way).

they were doing under ten on the day i took the picture but have used the same thing for 10-20.  

tp roll fish tank

my little blonde curls has developed a major fish obsession.   he has been coloring and cutting out pictures and taping them to the wall for a "fish tank" for quite some time.    we have a fish tank, but he has octopi and eels and whales in his paper tank . . . i guess he has a paper ocean on the wall, not a tank.   the other day, i was looking at the many tp rolls that accumulate and thought, "hmmm . . fish in 3d".   i flattened the tp rolls so they had a crease on the top and bottom, cut basic fish shapes and he painted, and i painted, and we made a large selection of tp roll fish.   they sat on my window sill for a couple weeks while school was starting and there was just too much chaos for finding tp roll fish homes.   this week, i decided it was time.

 TA-DA!   tp roll fish tank!

ok, it's a mobile, but you know.   it's fun.

we painted some strips of cardboard for the water and taped them to some wire bent into circles.   two strings crossing for the top suspension of the thing.   same basic principle for the bottom layer of water but longer strings and attached at the same top point so they both turn freely.     i used a large blunt needle to pull string between the cardboard and wire in the water sections.   i went with the easiest attachment, just pulling the string under the top crease in the fish.   you could get fancy and cut fins that stick out, tape the front together etc.   the fanciest i got was one fish he wanted "big".   i used two tp rolls glued together with a third in the middle to stabilize them.    i had some funky cut "sharks" too.   he wanted them to have open mouths.   i thought they looked like nothing but he was happy and that is all that counts.    i had to stick the needle though those, there just wasn't enough top crease to support them hanging.

next time, we are going to cut turtles out of the tp rolls and make coral for them to swim in.   since halloween is coming, we should really make some bats again.   those are fun too.   but that's another post.

bathtub shooter

my son loves playing in the water.   most of the time, that means bathtub.   he wants to take all of his toys in the tub.   obviously, water and most toys just don't mix.   even if they aren't electronic, anything with springs or screws will rust and just make a mess or eventually disintegrate into a non-usable state.   we have to improvise.

recently my little blond curls wanted a gun for the tub.   not a water gun, but something that shoots something.   this is our first attempt, it could still use some tweaking to perfect it but it should get your creative juices flowing.   the bathtub shooter with plastic bottle lid ammo-

this is super simple to make and understand.   it is a deodorant container, disassembled and equipped with a rubber band.   really, just that easy.   the hardest part is prying the end of the deodorant container off.   

start by cleaning the container out.   boiling water and some vinegar worked for us.

twist the base up until it comes off.   lay that aside for later.

now, the hard part.   take the thing apart.

we put a butter knife between the twisting end and the main part of the container.   it wasn't just about prying up but also getting into the center and releasing the two pieces.  don't push down from the inside as you might end up actually removing the center stick and you need that part to still be attached later.   every deo container is different so i can't help much.   for us, twisting it so the end sat uneven with the container and pushing the knife in between at the center hole popped them apart.  

use a knife or sandpaper to remove any edges that were holding the two pieces together.   you need to be able to push the twist end back in all the way without it staying there.  i used a dremel tool and a little sand paper disc.   the plastic is really soft so it doesn't take much.

now, the easy part.   cut a couple of slits in the sides of the container for the rubber band.   the plastic is pretty soft yo you could probably use a knife.   we used a dremel.   the paper sanding discs at high speed was enough to cut it.   they are really that soft.  make sure your slits are wide enough for the rubber bands and smoothed off so they aren't sharp.  that will cut your rubber band.  

 we contemplated cutting the slits on the long edge or the short.   haven't tried both ways so i am still not sure which would be better.   the makeup of your deo container might make your decision easier.   the rubber band has to go through the deo base so look at where your holes are.   

you can see in the picture how we ran the rubber band through the holes and looped them over the slits in the sides.   you need to go through the holes in the base and not under the base.   obviously, the rubber bands won't fit between the base and the sides of the container.   

now, just hold your base at the top and put the twist end back in and twist it back into the base.   you are basically reassembling the container the way it was with a few modifications.   don't glue them together.   if the rubber band breaks, and it will eventually, you need to get the base back off to make putting another one on.

now, just put your plastic bottle caps, or milk lids, or pieces of balled up tin foil (don't use foil in the water though), whatever ammo into the shooter, pull back and release.   you can adjust your power with different rubber bands.   this would work with any container that has the twist up end.   you could make lipstick or glue stick container shooters too.

enjoy your totally easy, water safe, no real cost or commitment bathtub shooter!

let me know what kind of fun tweaks you make to it or how it might work better in the comments.

UPDATE:
we discovered that setting various boats sail in ocean tub makes great target practice.   my little blonde curls likes trying to get the bottle lids in the cups or just knocking them over.   he also found that he can fit several lids in the shooter at once to make a serious multi-shot function in his shooter.