In and out - Wunderwerkstatt

Introduction

Filling things, putting things into other things, causing them to vanish - and pulling them out again. Most children could do this for hours. Here are some ideas of how you can easily give children opportunities to do this and maybe even avoid emptied wet wipes boxes or unrolled toilet paper rolls.

Empty cans and boxes build the basis - for example from instant coffee, stacked crisps, cotton sticks, cocoa, tennis balls, instant ice tea etc. Transparent boxes give children the opptounity to examine the content, to watch things fall down, when they put them inside or to see the swirl when shaking it. Untransparent boxes and tins cause things to vanish and reappear and make interesting noises when they are full - the possibilities are virtually endless. Here are some examples, trying to give ideas for different levels of difficulty

If you have problems with detaching annoying labels or stickers, try to use oil on a paper towel by applying it, letting it sit for a while and then rubbing it off, because most adhesives are liposoluble..

Dumping wooden blocks

Empty can
Decorative Paper
Wooden blocks or a square wooden dowel
Scissors and / or a hole punch tool

Make a hole into the lid using a hole punch tool. Use the scissors to make the hole wider, then smooth down the edges with sandpaper.

Decorate the can to your liking, for example with patterned paper.

Put natural-colored or dyed wooden blocks into a bowl.

Dumping pasta

Empty can
Decorative Paper
pasta
Scissors and / or a hole punch tool

Make a hole into the lid using a hole punch tool. Use the scissors to make the hole wider, then smooth down the edges with sandpaper.

Decorate the can to your liking, for example with patterned paper.

Put natural-colored or dyed pasta into a bowl.

Squeezing pompoms

Make a hole into the lid using a hole punch tool. Use the scissors to make the hole wider, then smooth down the edges with sandpaper.

Decorate the can to your liking, for example with patterned paper.

Put pompoms into a bowl. Use bigger ones at first and use only one color - than the smaller ones. When the squeezing has been mastered, different colors can give new incentives.

Sticks

Make a hole into the lid using a hole punch tool. Use the scissors to make the hole wider, then smooth down the edges with sandpaper.

Put natural-colored or dyed sticks into a bowl.

You can also use a shaker with coarse holes (and use it as a smelling jar later) or the like instead.

Buttons

Empty can
Buttons
Scissors and / or a hole punch tool

Make a hole into the lid using a punch. Use the scissors to form a slot.

Put the buttons into a bowl.

For a similar work, use a box and craft sticks.

Vanishing chenille stems

Make holes into the lid using a punch. You can attach colored dots matching the chenille stems next to the holes or prepare the exercise without the color marking at first.

Cut the chenille stems into pieces and put them into a bowl.

Diving station

Empty can - a high, transparent one would be best (i.e. Tennis balls)
Buttons or something similar, that is waterproof
Scissors and / or a hole punch tool

Make a slot into the lid of an empty transparent can and fill it with water.

Put plastic buttons, chips or the like into a bowl.

If you fill about 1/8 of the can with dish detergent and the rest with water, the objects will fall down slower.

Get it out!

Make holes into the lid using a punch.

Put wool or satin ribbon into the box and thread them through the holes in the lid.

Get it our! (resource-conserving option))

Make holes into the lid using a punch. Make holes into the sides of the can using a piercing awl or the like.

Thread gift ribbons through the holes and make knots into the ends - now you can have endless fun!

Out and about!

Bottle
various Satin ribbons

Knot bands together and carefully stuff them into an empty plastic bottle.

Provide the bottle without the lid and let it be emptied and re-filled.

Round and round

Decorate a can to your liking and provide rubber bands.

This exercise varies in difficulty depending on the size of the rubber bands. Try bigger ones at first to avoid frustration.