Using spools as tools for play

I have no idea what these great big cardboard spools were originally used for but after collecting six of them from the local recycle center, I used them as tools for play in both my indoor and outdoor classroom…

If you are like me, once you find a fun item like these over-sized cardboard spools, you want to use them for anything and everything until they start to fall apart…

You may not have a set of large cardboard spools but what I am hoping you will get from this post is not that you need to run out and find some but that you will look at the things you do have or that you do come across and wonder “What else can this possibly be used for in my classroom?”…

As you can see from the photos I am sharing today, we used our spools in a variety of ways. The children rolled them, stacked them, and used them for play in our block center…

We also added them to our sand table for play…

No matter where we added the cardboard spools, the children used them for unique and creative types of play…

So my advice to anyone who is listening (or reading) is to think outside of the box when it comes to upcycling something like a set of large spools in the classroom. Upcycle your recycled collections for play, engineering, construction and all the other creative ways you can think of. These types of unique tools for play can be extremely inviting and engaging to young children and they are free!…

Our cardboard spools did great until I left them out in the rain overnight and then they started to lose their shape so I took them back to the recycle center…

But I’m keeping an eye out in hopes that whoever brought the first set of cardboard spools to the recycle center will soon be bringing more!

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