I met up with the Los Angeles-based Trash for Teaching at the Maker Faire last weekend. Trash for Teaching is an organization that collects factory overruns and byproducts and redistributes them to teachers, schools, and museums for open-ended art making and tinkering. This is great for teachers with small materials budgets, inspiring for children to think creatively about how to repurpose materials, and wonderful for the environment. If you’re a Bay Area teacher, we’re lucky to have the incredible RAFT (Resource Area for Teaching) right here in San Jose.
I was given a few bags of materials to play with, and N and I enjoyed looking through the rolls, styrofoam, colorful papers, foil, cups, and sticks for inspiration.
Wouldn’t you agree that this is right up my alley?
Each bag was thematic, and one of the themes included materials that could be turned into string cup telephones. Do you remember tin can telephones? This is a a funny take on that idea.
Since Trash for Teaching is all about upcycling cast-off materials into something new, the big question today is “what was the original purpose of the cups you see in the picture below?” Bonus points and a big virtual trophy to you if you have the correct answer! (Keep in mind that these materials came straight from the factory floor and were never used otherwise!).
Make a string cup telephone set. It’s ridiculously simple, and worked great.
- Drill small holes in the bottom of each cup.
- Find a piece of string about three feet long.
- Thread the ends of the string through each of the cups. Tie off with big knots.
- Ring, Ring! Find a partner, pull the string taught, and you’re reading for some telephone play.
How would the telephone work if the string were 8 feet long?
20 feet long?
Does the sound change with different kinds of string or cups?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I know what those cups are! Good thing they are not reused! I will let others guess! We made string telephones with oatmeal boxes! FUN!
Oatmeal boxes would be perfect for this — no drilling involved! And yes, you are right about those cups
It took me not even a second to recognize those cups. I shall never forget such an intimate relationship:)
Hee hee. It’s hard to forget, isn’t it!!
I just discovered your site yesterday and I am loving it! And I recognized those cups right away. Lovely.
Hi Josie, I’m so glad you found me!! Welcome
The cups are lovely, aren’t they?!
Let’s just call them “specimen cups”, shall we?
Yes, let’s. Thanks for chiming in, Chelsea
Here at Trash for Teaching, we usually refer to those cups (with a wink) as “4P cups” . . . .
I love that, Dave!!! Thanks for the comment — I enjoyed meeting you at Maker Faire!