Welcome to Thrifty Thursday; a weekly installment of my latest thrift store finds and how we use them in our homeschool day. We go thrifting as a family every week after we do our grocery shopping. When I saw this apple it transported me back to my own childhood. I knew I didn’t have one as a child but someone must have because I remember it so clearly. I picked it up and heard the chiming sounds . Memories of preschool or playdates came flooding back. Isn’t it funny how our senses can trigger memories?

When we picked this up for $2, I originally thought it would be fun for the baby to play with. I had no idea where this vintage toy would lead us. After we got home, our toddler was way more into it, “bowling” with it the rest of that afternoon. He then asked us how it made the noise. I thought it was a great question and I certainly had no idea. We sat down as a family and speculated how. My husband, being an engineer, had the most logical ideas. Myself, being an artist, had more creative ideas. Our toddler being well, a toddler, had the best ideas! Not wanting to break our new treasure open we did what any parent would do and went to the internet. We found a great article where she actually took one apart! Please click the image to read her page. (Image below from Carolyn Kephart’s blog)

We were all surprised how it worked! So simple.

We were all surprised how it worked. So simple. So simple, in fact, we decided to build it. Now, we used straws and a paperclip because that’s what we had on hand. However, if you have a wind chime or can find one cheap from a thrift store or at the dollar store I feel like it would be a much better lesson!

While we didn’t use this in our homeschool curriculum I still wanted to share because I think it’s a great lesson that anything can be a teaching opportunity. We went through the scientific process from asking a question to finding a solution. If you have ever wondered why “encouraging cuosity” is our tag line. This is exactly what I mean. Stay open minded and let learning opportunities naturally happen.

Can’t thrift it but gotta have it? Here is an affiliate link for your convenience. Happy Apple Musical Toy