Bridget’s Wind Chime

Bridget and Nell make a wind chime from smooth wooden shapes at the garden table. Mum helps them tie each shape to a short piece of string, hanging the strings from a small wooden ring.

They hang their chime from a low hook on the garden arch and wait for a breeze. The wooden shapes swing, but instead of a gentle tapping sound, the strings twist into a tight bundle beneath the ring.

Bridget wants to pull the shapes apart while the chime is still hanging. Mum lowers it to the table first, where Nell can loosen the tangled strings without stretching them or dropping the wooden pieces.

Nell notices that every string was tied close to the next one on the ring. Bridget spreads the knots farther apart and compares the spaces, leaving a small gap between each hanging string.

They hang the chime again, but two long strings still cross when the wind turns them. This time Bridget watches closely instead of shaking the ring. She sees exactly which pair needs another small change.

Back at the table, Mum helps them shorten one of the two strings. The shapes now hang at different heights, with enough room to swing past each other and make a soft wooden tapping sound.

A light breeze moves through the arch as they try their chime for a third time. Nell hears three gentle taps. Bridget smiles when the strings separate again instead of staying tangled in a bundle.

They sit on the garden bench and listen before putting their spare string away. “One change helped us find the next,” Bridget says. She likes their quiet chime even more because they worked out how to improve it.