It has been somewhat difficult to get pictures of the machine ‘in action’ because there are usually so many children crowded around. I have managed to get a few – here they are using the pipes as a ‘drink machine’;
Which was expanded to include the tubes under the loft too;
We discovered that some of the milk containers are too tall to fit in the space between the floor and the bottom of the vertical pipe. There was a bit of panic when they realized they couldn’t get the container out of the bottom of the pipe and none of us could reach it from the top either.
After some trial and error we learned that if several smaller containers are inserted into the bottom of the pipe the ‘too tall’ container is eventually pushed all the way out the top of the pipe. This was how the ‘elevator’ was invented. Since then many of the little people toys have taken a ride in the elevator.
Add a bin at the lower end of the diagonal pipe and you’ve got ‘the clean-up machine’;
Sometimes one child will look through the upper end of the diagonal pipe while another child sits under the loft and places various items under the lower end of the pipe. This creates a microscope/telescope/I Spy game.
It has also been used as a x-ray machine or laser to diagnose and treat injured stuffed animals. So far I’ve been unable to get a decent picture of the children engaged in this activity – threre is no room for reporters in the emergency room.
Two simple pipes and plenty of open ended creative play
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