Activities / Build
Paper cup phone
Two cups and a string carry your voice across the room.
- Ages5+
- Time10 minutes
- A grown-up helps withPoking holes in the cups
How to make it
- Ask a grown-up to poke a small hole in the bottom of each cup with the pencil.
- Push one end of the string through the hole from the outside in, and tie it to a paper clip so it cannot slip out.
- Do the same with the other cup and the other end of the string.
- Each person takes a cup and walks apart until the string is tight.
- One person talks into a cup, the other holds a cup to an ear. Then swap.
Why it works
Your voice makes the bottom of the cup shake. The tight string carries those tiny shakes to the other cup, and that cup turns them back into sound. If the string hangs loose, the shakes get lost.
Try next
- Does it still work around a corner?
- Try yarn, fishing line or thread. Which one sounds clearest?
Safety note. Long string can tangle. Use it for the phone and put it away afterwards. A grown-up should be nearby for the whole activity.
Watch it
The video for this activity is on its way. It will be on our YouTube channel first.
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