CLOSED CHUTES REVISITED

In June I will be traveling for three weeks to the UK and the Netherlands to do several presentations on sand and water play.  For the next few weeks, I will be preoccupied with preparations for that trip.  Because it takes me so long to do an original post, I will revisit some earlier posts.  The second  post I would like to revisit is from January 20, 2011 and is called CLOSED CARDBOARD CHUTES. This is mainly a "how-to" post with pointers on embedding chutes on a slant and on taping things securely with little to no measuring.

If you look at the DIMENSIONS in the righthand column of this blog, the first Cardboard Chutes posted in this blog (November 26th posting) fell under the dimensions of open and incline. The cardboard chutes in this post are also on an incline, but are closed.  Since this apparatus takes some constructing, this post explains how to build the apparatus.  The next post will talk about types of play and exploration fostered by this apparatus.

For this apparatus, I used three boxes.  The first box---the support box---was the width of the table on one of its orientations.  It was also both narrow and tall on its other two orientations.  Since it was the width of the table, it fit snugly inside the table and was thus easy to tape securely into the table.  The narrowness made it possible for the chutes to pass through.  The height allowed the chutes to be set on an incline.  Two other boxes were used for the chutes.  One of the chutes in the picture above is a box that held window blinds and the second chute is a box that held an artificial Christmas tree.  I cut out both ends of those boxes.  Without those ends, the chutes collapse easily.   When they are embedded in the support box, though, they are quite stable.

Here are three boxes I used to make closed chutes three years ago.

In this version, the support box is as wide as the table and actually sits on top of edge of the table.  A cardboard tube has been added so the flow of material can go two ways.  With the chutes only going one direction, the play and exploration sometimes stops when most of the material is emptied from the table.  Because of that, I considered the first design flawed and made the modification while the apparatus was still attached to the table.



To make the holes for the chutes, I first trace the end of the "chute" box onto the support box near the designated top of the support box.

If I were just to cut the shape I traced, the chute would be horizontal when I insert it through the box.

I don't want that, so I add an inch or two to the original trace on the top to be able to orient the chute on a slant.

Two inches is a lot to add to the original trace.  The more you add, the steeper the slant. (This almost sounds like a geometry lesson for a teacher.)

When the holes are cut, I insert the chutes through both holes.

By the way, I hardly ever measure.  Once I have done one side, I move to the other side. I usually place the top of the trace on the second side about where the bottom of the trace is on the first side.  I then add an inch or two to the bottom.

After inserting the chutes, I tape all around the them with duct tape to keep them from sliding up or down in the support box.  If I have cut the hole a little too big for the chute, the taping covers up extra spaces.  Taping is another process for which I do not measure.  I like to use duct tape that tears easily.  I will tear off a piece that is longer than the juncture I want to tape.  I use my fingers to push it into place.

Once the tape is in place, I tear or cut any extra that is hanging over the corner.  One section of the torn duct tape is pressed flat against the box and the other is folded over and down.

When I have taped all the chutes in place, I tape the apparatus to the table.  I orient it so the higher end of the chute is above the table and the lower end extends over the table and directs the material into a tub on the floor next to the table.

OK, kids, it is now yours to investigate and explore!

If you are counting, there are eight children around this table playing on several different levels and in several different spaces created by the apparatus.  My question is: Could there be even more children playing here?