Giant Sight & Sound Tubes

Giant Sight & Sound Tubes

In the tubes: Gems, bells, feathers, balls, soft foam shapes

I actually only have one of these tubes, the first one with the small transparent gems in it. I picked it up second-hand and didn't know where it came from until I saw this image on the Lakeshore Learning website. Here is the link if you would like to check them out. Lakeshore Learning.

The tube measures 16" long. The gems are small, about twice the size of a piece of rice. I have some of the same gems that are loose (not in this tube) that I use in the Treasure Chest activity. The blue caps do not come off. Reading the reviews I see that these are very popular with toddlers, but I don't work with kids that young so typically use them for visually scanning or tracking. Here are some of the ways that I have used this tube:

• Hold the tube with one hand on each end. Tip/twist the tube slowly and follow the gems with your eyes as they roll downward.
• Hold the tube with one hand on each end. Hold the tube still as you start at one end and scan with your eyes across the tube looking for all gems of a certain color. Count them if you want. Then start at the end where you stopped and scan in the opposite direction looking for all the gems of a different color.
• Add stickers that are removable and turn the tube with two hands, scanning for the different objects or characters.
• Hold the tube out so that the arms are not against the body nor propped on a table top for support.
• Holding the tube with one hand, flip it so all the pieces fall to the opposite end.
  
• Work on visual discrimination, visual scanning, visual tracking, manual dexterity, play and leisure exploration and participation