How to Build Indoor Slinky Steps

The slinky toy has been around since the early 1940s and continues to entertain both children and adults. The slinky can be bounced between two hands or made to "walk" down a set of stairs. The fun is watching the self-propelled action of the giant coiled spring. While any set of stairs works for a slinky ride, you can make fun, unusual steps indoors to add to the intrigue.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Teach youngsters to count by setting up a number of steps and counting each step as the slinky descends. Use their own toys, such as their toy box and their blocks. Start with two or three and add a step as they learn their numbers.
2. Save boxes of varying shapes and sizes. Let kids decorate the boxes to form their slinky steps. Put the biggest box on the bottom, leading to the smallest box on the top. It will help to maintain the balance of the boxes and keep you from having to put anything in the boxes to weight them down.
3. Use furniture to set up a slinky stairway that starts in one section of a room and moves to another. Begin on a bookshelf and move a chair nearby. Put something stiff such as magazine or board on the seat of the chair to give it a good bouncing surface.
4. Move an table near the chair and let the slinky step of it to a lower table, such as the cocktail table. Small chests or books can give the slinky its final steps.
5. Gather heavy blocks of wood or cement and pile them up as high as you like to begin a winding slinky trail. Set up piles of the blocks in varying directions to direct the toy to its final destination.
6. Make sure that there is a guide wall, or block that pushes the slinky in different directions if you want it to turn. Place each new step jutting out at least 6 inches from the higher step.