Make a toy water well from a milk carton

One look is worth a thousand words. After numerous attempts to explain to my child what is a water well and how it works, the idea to make its working model popped into my head. I must say this is an original craft I'm very proud of :)

You will need:

• milk or juice carton
• round stick, cocktail straw or pencil
• piece of cardboard
• piece of wire
• craft knife
• scissors
• thick thread
• glue
• plastic toothpaste or bottle cap

1. Cut away two walls of the carton, so that you have a square basin, a roof over it, and two poles one opposite the other to support the roof (see the photo). The roof supports must be wide enough to hold a spindle.

2. Make two holes, one opposite the other, in the roof supports to accommodate the spindle.

3. If you're making the spindle from a stick or pencil, cut out an oval piece of cardboard, it will take the handle. Glue that piece to the spindle so that together they form the letter "L", then attach the handle to the other side. If the cardboard is thick enough, make openings in it to insert the pencil.

4. If you're using a cocktail straw to make the spindle, just bend it so that it's Z-shaped, with one horizontal section long enough to be put between the roof supports. The other two sections of "Z" will make the handle.

5. Insert the spindle into the openings in the roof supports.

6. Cut out a cardboard washer and glue it to the other end of the spindle. This will secure the spindle in place.

7. Make a bucket from a bottle cap, attach to it a wire handle.

8. Tie the bucket to a piece of thread and fix the other end of the thread around the spindle.

9. Stick some play dough to the bucket's bottom to make it sink.

Now you can pour water into the well and draw it out with the toy bucket :)