The Cardboard Slide and the Fishing Funnel

A sock ball rolls down a tilted cardboard tube like a slide, and the child fishes it out with a funnel right as it comes out. It builds anticipating when it will appear and putting the hand in exactly the right spot.

How to play

1. The teacher leans each cardboard tube on a chair back at an angle and shows how the ball slides down inside (2 min).
2. In small groups at each slide, one child drops the ball in at the top and the fisher waits with the funnel at the bottom (3 min).
3. Switch: the dropper fishes and another child drops; everyone tries both jobs (3 min).
4. Now the fisher waits one step farther away and has to move to catch the ball as it comes out (3 min).
5. Try dropping two balls in a row and catching both (2 min).
6. Put the caught balls in the boat basket and put the slides away (1 min).

Rules

• I drop the ball when the fisher says "Go!"
• The fisher waits with the funnel still at the exit.
• I wait for my turn at the slide.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: set the slide so it exits at table or tray height for seated fishing.
• Visual impairment: use a ball with a bell inside; the sound in the tube tells the child it's coming.
• Less dexterity: fish with a shoebox instead of the funnel.

Learning goals

• Anticipate when and where a moving object will appear.
• Place the funnel precisely to receive.
• Wait and take turns in a small group.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Large cardboard tube: 4
• Bottle funnels: 25
• Sock balls: 25
• Chairs: 4

Teacher tip

Carpet or fabric-store tubes work well; tape them to the chair. Keep groups to five or six per slide so nobody waits too long.

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