Hi!

I'm in a setting where two of the rooms are divided by a sliding glass door, which is normally shut. I thought a string phone might be something the staff could use, as well as the children would enjoy.

Unfortunately, the one I made doesn't seem to work very well!

I used two yoghurt pots and a piece of shoe-lace like material. I poked a hole in the bottom of each pot, put the shoe-lace in and knotted it so that it wouldn't slip back out.

It carries zero sound though, even with the lace pulled taut!

Does anybody who's been more successful have any tips/suggestions?

Thanks!

Regards
Mark
http://earlychildcare.wordpress.com

Hiya Mark - goodness haven't spoken with you for ages....

When I was girl (long, long time ago! ) we did this with tin cans and string - that worked for a great distance.......

Failing that..........buy some walkie talkies!

That's hardly my fault is it!

Relive your childhood and try and make some again then.

Uhm, so, tin cans transfer sound better? As well as a single thread of string?

No budget! And one of the rooms is the birth to 2y, so it'd get thrashed in less than a week.

Just trying to think how to get child-friendly tin cans...

Regards
Mark
http://earlychildcare.wordpress.com

String, bog standard string, works the best

Well........if I hadn't just done my recycling I might have had some cans and I would love to try it .....always up for a challenge!

I'm sure that my brother and I used to use them over quite a distance.........I'll dash of an email and ask him!

The 'buy walkie talkies' was just me being 'funny'?!?!?!

Wonder if any parents have a set of redundant baby monitors?

We have used two plastic cups and some string. We put small holes in the bottom of the cups, threaded the string through the holes (as usual)and tied it to paper clips inside the cup to stop it coming out when the string is pulled tight. Our string phone has lasted for over a year and works really well.

String is best because it carries the vibrations better.

Also I'm pretty sure the thing won't work at all if the door is closed against the string as this will stop the vibrations travelling properly.

Yes, I was going to say make sure the string isn't touching anything else.

I personally found them extremely unsatisfying as a child!

Hm, I had a second attempt today with yoghurt pots, paper clips and fishing line.

I think the sound transfers very well, but unfortunately, it's quite hard to get it so that it the fishing line doesn't touch anything else, i.e. not much point of a string phone between the sliding glass door if the door has to be open for it to work...

Regards
Mark
http://earlychildcare.wordpress.com

golden syrup tins!

would you be able to use a door slam-stopper to keep the door open an inch or so to allow the string to pass through?

Nona