You will need:
A box with a closure mechanism (that isn’t immediately obvious to the children) or a plastic tub with a lid that you can screw on. Rope, cord, ribbon, wool. A selection of different small items to stimulate the child’s curiosity.
1. Make holes in the side of the box, thread the ribbon, cord, rope or wool through the holes, and knot together on the inside. I tied all of mine onto a curtain ring to make it easier for me. On the outside of the box fasten a different curiosity inducing object on the end of each thread.
2. Prepare several boxes and vary the lengths of the different threads, so that, for example, if on one box the large button is on a long thread, on another box the large button is on a short thread.
3. Before sharing the activity, open the box and pull all the threads from the inside so that all of the curiosity objects are pressed against the outside walls of the box.
4. To share the activity:
Simply offer the boxes for exploration. Allow the children to discover for themselves that the boxes, although appearing similar, have different properties inside which means that they get a different experience on the outside.
5. Decorate the lids of the boxes with pictures of brains. Talk about how all of our brains work differently on the inside, meaning that some of us are good at some activities and others of us are good at other activities.