After building towers with toilet paper tubes, I helped Veronika discover another fun way to upcycle rolls today. I originally planned to tape together toilet paper tubes, but decided longer paper towel rolls were sturdier for this particular activity. Duct-tape as many as you like (or have stockpiled!) together securely in a long line.

I placed the tube line about midway up our stairs, aiming the bottom into an empty toy bin.

Depending how old your kids are, you can make this chain even longer and go all the way to the top of the stairs. But I was worried about Veronika’s safety, so we kept ours shorter. I showed her how to put a toy car into the tube, and then whee!

It landed in the bin at the bottom. As soon as she realized the cause-and-effect, she loved slotting the cars in and waiting for them to land.

What a delight!

The bucket was angled in such a way that we couldn’t see them land very well, so I rotated the tube and the cars drove out directly at the bottom of the stairs. Arguably this was even more enjoyable!

I also made a short, hand-held version that was easier for her to slot a car in and instantly see it drop through.

She loved doing this on the floor for a while, with lots of vrooming noises to go along of course. Thank goodness for upcycled tubes!