Young Pirate's Divider
Teaching map and distance (cartography) to kids have an inherent drawback. You can not give pointed tools (divider) to kids unattended. So I made this small divider with things easily found. You can make 100s of them with material costing just 1$.
Supplies
You need:
Wooden tooth picks 4 count.
Rubber valve tube from the cycle store.
Scissor.
Take 2 pieces of valve tube 10cm and 2 cm.
Insert the heads of 2 toothpicks in the longer valve tube from both ends. Make sure the pointed ends are outside. Measure so that the length coming out are same.
Poke the third toothpick in the middle of the tube. Insert it almost half of the way.
Take the smaller valve tube and insert it on the pointed side of the middle toothpick so that a little of the toothpick point can be seen.
Now take the 4th toothpick and insert it through all the valve tubes horizontally. You may have to miss passing through the center so as to pass the toothpick properly.
You are almost done. Now align the divider by judgement so that it works properly and toothpick slides on the valve tube properly.
Make 100 of these and give them to your tiny pirates for cartography. Looks and works very much like the real thing? And safe to give to young kids.