Noodle Mountain Roll

Steps

• Before play, cut the pool noodle in half the long way with a serrated knife, then cut the halves into four or five pieces about a foot long. This is an adult step.
• Tape a large piece of cardboard to a wall or door, with the top at about your child's head height.
• Help your child tape the noodle pieces onto the cardboard in a zigzag, groove side up like a gutter, each piece sloping gently down.
• Start each new piece just under the low end of the one above, with a few inches sticking out past it, so the ball drops on and rolls back the other way.
• Test the track together with a ping pong ball. If the ball flies off, make that piece less steep or move the next one closer.
• Ask your child to stand in front of the track and set the ball in the top groove, then follow it with their eyes as it zigzags down.
• Have your child catch the ball at the bottom, reaching across the body when the track ends on the other side, and send it down again.

Safety tip: Keep the knife with the adult and put it away before play. Tape the cardboard firmly so it cannot tip onto your child, and stay close while your child reaches up.