Nowadays, toddler in my house asks lot of questions. Okay, I understand that its good and all that my little one is being curious about something. But when the same question is being asked 1000 times in 5 minutes time frame, I wonder that is she doing it to irritate her parents or she actually doesn’t get it? It makes me a little nervous and irritated at the same time. Hats off to my hubby, he can handle our little Miss.QUESTION MARK very well. I am not trying to make fun of her here, and sorry for being judgmental if I sound like that. I am impatient and need to improve myself. So, yesterday when hubby was reading a “Shapes Book” to her and she was curious about Heart shape. Then hubby put her hand on his chest and showed her where the heart is. She started looking inside her clothes and could not see it. “Cuteness overloaded Moment!” Everyone smiled at her cute act of finding heart in her clothes and inside. Hubby decided to explain it to her even better; that he said “you can not see it from outside but you can feel it” and put her palm on his heart. She could not feel it or was not paying attention to it. While this was happening, a part of me told myself “Aaj kuchh Toofani Karte hai!” 😀 That means my stormy mind boggled and started thinking how can I make my toddler feel the Heartbeats and Ta-da! I googled DIY stethoscope and of course I did not have same objects listed in the post but I wanted to make one at 10 in the night anyway. My search started from kitchen to toy room to Garage to bathroom. And AAh- Haa… Below are the things you need:
- 2 empty toilet paper rolls/ 1 big kitchen towel roll empty
- Duck-tape
- Scissors
- Empty plastic water bottle
- 1 Paper cup
- Rubber band
First, I taped 2 empty toilet paper rolls together to make the pipe long enough. You can alternatively use 1 empty kitchen towel roll.
Then I wanted plastic funnel for both the ends. I did not have it so I cut the plastic water bottle from top end, remove the bottle cap. I only had one empty bottle at a time so other end I used Paper cup I had. But you can alternately cut 2 plastic bottle head and use it at both ends instead of Funnel.
Then I taped Funnel made from plastic bottle to one end and funnel made of paper cup to another end.
I put balloon on one funnel and tighten it with Rubber band. I even taped it so it cannot move. On the other funnel (made of paper cup) I cut circle shape big enough to insert pipe made of toilet paper roll and tape it to tighten that end well. Below are my pics for more explanation.
How to-Use
To use, I had my little one put blue end on her daddy’s heart and put her ear inside paper cup end. She felt it for real. After a quiet 15 seconds, daddy asked first question to little one: “So, do you hear it?” She said yes. To confirm he asked another question: ” What sound do you hear?” She said “Dhum Dhum Dhum..” So daddy gave a satisfactory smile and hugged her. That kept her busy for half n hour. She listened to everyone’s heartbeats in the room.(daddy, mummy and Dada (Grandpa)). She wanted to listened to her own. But my design was not very flexible as I made from what found in home. Had I made it with clear wire tube and funnels, would look much better or more like real stethoscope. If you are following my MAHM (Montessori @home by mom) posts, This one could be one of the activities for “Sensory Shelves” which is useful to teach senses to kids. With this, a toddler can listen; how to hear a heartbeat, actually see where the heart is located from out side and feel with her hands. Its a great sensory activity. Also, “Language Shelves” : as the letter of the week is “S” and stands for stethoscope. She also knows now that Stethoscope is being used by Doctors in daily life which covers the “Practical life Shelves” as well. Win win moment for mumma.
I know that presentation wise, this stethoscope is not very well made. I could have given it better look. But enough said of me every-time, you know now that how much impatient I am!
Myinsideworldout 