Friday, February 15, 2013

DIY Whisper Phones



I have been wanting to make whisper phones for my class to use during Read to Self and guided reading groups. I found this picture in pinterest and was sad to see that the blog is no longer available :( If by any chance you come across the actual site please let me know so I can give credit.

UPDATE: I have finally found the owner of this picture!! WooHoo! Thanks Kickin it with Class for sharing!


So I decided to jump in and blog about it. I stopped by Home Depot and ask for a 3/4 in. PVC pipe. The pipe is 10ft long and it's only  $2.18. I then saw a man in the aisle with a cutting machine and told him I was a teacher and was making phones for reading and asked very nicely if he could cut the 10 ft pipe into 3 1/2 inch pieces.


I was going to buy individual PVC elbow pipes for 0.42 cents, but then I saw a bag of 10 for only $2.20 saving me $10 for a total of five bags.


 Once I got home I had my strong husband assemble them. 


He had so much fun!

Once they were all assembled I wrapped color duct tape around them and WAALAA they are all set and ready to be used.

My class loved using the whisper phones!


Here's the price break down:
1  3/4 PVC Pipe 10 ft long = $2.18
5 bags of Elbow PVCs = $11.00
Duct Tape = already had it
Total for each piece = $0.52 each phone (25 phones)

Now thats an awesome deal!!!

65 comments:

  1. LOVE these!! I got a few from Lakeshore a couple years ago {with a DonorsChoose literacy project}, but have been wanting to make more since the Lakeshore ones are like $5 or $6 a piece! Thanks for the tips :) I am so excited to see how cheap it can be!

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  2. Those are awesome! I love that you have so many. I bet the kids are loving them!
    Katie
    I Want to be a Super Teacher

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  3. No kidding! I was JUST talking about making these today but didn't know where to begin! Thank you for the research, easy to follow description and photos!!

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  4. Hi there! That top picture is mine( Kickin' it with Class) I am not sure why it wasn't linked. Here is the link to my blog and I would love you linking up the picture here as well. Thanks for sharing,
    Heather
    Kickin' It With Class

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    Replies
    1. So happy I have FINALLY found you!!! The pin I have has no link what-so-ever :( I went ahead and linked the picture to your blog. Thanks again for this awesome idea!! :)

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  5. What book are the children reading in this picture? looks interesting :)

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    Replies
    1. It's called "The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle :) Cute book

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  6. I love it! Great idea - I like the different colors, too, because you could hand out a specific color to readers you're concerned about and give yourself a quick visual cue of who to listen in on. Also, your husband gets 35 points on the Good Teacher's Husband Award!

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  7. Thanks for the sharing of such information. we will pass it on to our readers. This is a great reading. Thanking you

    Plastic Pipe

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  8. Very cool! I think I'll have to make a weekend project of these! Do you ever disinfect these at all? The whisper phones that I have borrowed before get all spitty when my kinders use them .

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    Replies
    1. Ive seen elsewhere that you can wash them in your dishwasher(top rack)!

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  9. Nice blog and thanks for provide great information.Get more information click here Abs Pipe

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  10. This is an excellent post from you, I liked the concept. I have been a regular visitor of this and hoping to get more from your blogs as it is helpful for me Plastic Pipe

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  11. I just made a whole bunch (>100), following these directions; however, I have a suggestion. Brace the hand assembled phone against flat horizontal and vertical surfaces (like a floor and baseboard), then use a rubber mallet to hammer all the pieces together more securely. (It's also easier on the body.) To avoid damaging the vertical surface with the seams on some PVC pipe elbows, put another piece of wood (or popsicle stick) between the phone and the baseboard.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip!! I'm about to make new ones, but instead of duct tape I'll be spray painting them.

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    2. Spray paint will chip off PVC. You can also buy colored furniture grade PVC for just a little more $

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  12. Thanks for sharing. They look great! My prac class that I was in had these and the chn loved using them when reading.
    Can you please tell me where you bought the pack of elbows from?
    Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Ah so sorry for the majorly late reply, but I got them at Home Depot :)

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    2. Reminds me of a Sponge Bob Squarepants line... "4 years later." LOL

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  13. Thank you so much for sharing this-- I was a sub at my son's school the other day, and saw these being used by 5th graders in the computer lab and asked the teacher what they were, so she had me try them out! I've been thinking about them ever since, and the benefits a whisper phone would have for my 6yr old son, who has ADHD, and has been having a tough time in kindergarten. I already have the list for Lowe's written out lol. Thanks again!

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  14. Than you so much for your help. I just finished making my own set of whisper phones and your measurements were great. The whole project just cost me $11.56 for 25 phones. :D Thank you again!

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  15. Thank you so much for your amazing tutorial! We love these for our classroom! We mentioned this tutorial on our blog and left your link so hopefully others will be able to use your advice! Thanks so much! We are your newest followers!

    http://smartiepantsabc.blogspot.com/

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  16. This is one of the better blogs i've seen for [Plastic Ducting] with lots of information and tips

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  17. I read your blog. Its simply superb. useful for PVC Pipes & Fittings Manufacturer Thanks for sharing

    Plastic Pipe Exporters

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  18. Those are very pretty. who would have thought that you can make those cool stuff through those pvc pipes. Great work.

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  19. We use PVC whisper phones that are homemade but your colored duct tape makes them so much prettier! Love it!
    Heather from Mrs. Renz’ 4th Grade Class

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  20. Awesome idea!!! Thank you so much for sharing... I´ll use it with my third graders. I´m sure they´ll love it... ;)

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  21. Thank you for posting this! I will be making these for my class as we have just begun to enjoy guided reading groups!

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  22. Check with your local Rotary Club. My club distributes them here in the Virgin Islands (check out our FB page, Rotary Club of St. Croix) and, of course, we call them Rotary Phones.

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  23. I ready this blog and i must say this one is very well written blog...keep it up

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  24. Shared your post on my blog: burtonkinderkraziness.blogspot.com

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  25. Why do you use them? I don't know what they are for! Can you tell me please? I am a teacher

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    Replies
    1. They allow children to more clearly hear what they are saying when they read, so that they can learn to form phonemes more clearly

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    2. I also use them during Daily 5 Read to Self...especially for those that do not monitor their reading. Using the "phones" help them hear themselves reading....AND a whole class can be reading aloud without being bothered by others because their whispering into the phone is quite loud in their own ear. Love these and have been using them for many years! !!

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    3. I also use them during Daily 5 Read to Self...especially for those that do not monitor their reading. Using the "phones" help them hear themselves reading....AND a whole class can be reading aloud without being bothered by others because their whispering into the phone is quite loud in their own ear. Love these and have been using them for many years! !!

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    4. I also like using them during writing, so students can listen to their own writing before they piblish it. It helps them listen for sentence fluency, tone, and voice.

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    5. I also like using them during writing, so students can listen to their own writing before they piblish it. It helps them listen for sentence fluency, tone, and voice.

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  26. I think you mean Voila not WALLAA

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    Replies
    1. yes its Voila, but I use these cute sound effects and try to spell them out the way it sounds lol, I know lame!

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  27. Thank you for posting the information for making these. As an Eagle project, my son is getting ready to make 2,000 of them for our local school district. It's a big undertaking! So the duct tape, as pretty as it makes them, is there any other benefit? How do you sanitize them with the duct tape on? For the time, we're thinking of just keeping them white.

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    Replies
    1. WOW, 2,000?!!! That's awesome! I'm so glad you found this post helpful. I just throw them in the dishwasher, top rack. I'm about to make new ones with out the duct tape, maybe add some color with spray paint.

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  28. You have tootsie the duct tape off when u wash them. It disintegrates in the dishwasher and will clog it

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  29. I love PVC whisper phones too! They are so valuable to help kids with fluency. I keep one in each of my student's Book Bins - along with a text tracker and bookmark.
    When I moved to a new school, at the beginning of the year I sent out an email to my parents asking to make these and I got a taker! This great dad took very similar directions to Home Depot, assembled and donated them to my class. I number each one with sharpie so it can get back to its 'owner' throughout the year. I've had my set for the last six years and they still are clean and new! Thanks for showing how easy they are create and assemble.
    www.growingrootsclassroom.blogspot.com

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  30. Thanks for the explanation of the whisper phones. I found some in my new classroom left by the previous teacher, and did't know what they were or what they were used for. Know I know, and I can't wait to use them! I was a fourth grade teacher and I'm now teaching Kindergarten. Lots to learn!!! Thanks!

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  32. I made some for my son's 2nd grade class. They LOVE them

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  33. You have some honest ideas about the hand pipes share here I really get many information and discovered most peoples will agree with your blog.
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  34. These can also be used to help students learn to match pitch when singing. Sometimes they simply can't hear themselves well enough to realize they aren't singing the correct pitch.

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  35. I made my first ones 20 years ago. I am making a new set today. I love your idea about the tape. It makes them more exciting for the kids to use instead of plain ones! Thanks for the idea! Keep on teaching!

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  36. I am making some today and plan on spray painting them, so they are fun, but can still be washed.

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    Replies
    1. I plan on making new ones again this, the spray painting idea is even better!! Thanks for sharing :)

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  37. Has anyone used them for a whOle class to do independent silent reading at once. I have 24 first grade boys and woder if they all whisper at once, will it be too noisy. Should I only give them to the boys that are having a hard time reGulati their volume?

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    Replies
    1. These are perfect for whole class and will help draw out the noise too. Let me know how it worked out for you :)

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  42. Would you recommend the same size for 6th and 7th graders?

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  43. Hi! Sorry I am not a Teacher, but have children. Whatvare the whisper phones for 🙈?

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  47. This simple yet ingenious tool allows students to listen to their own voices as they read aloud, promoting self-correction and fluency development. https://www.mobilezmarket.com/

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