Simple Toys: The Carpenter's Ruler

Mombian suggested a great, simple toy for young children:

It’s simply a carpenter’s ruler—a ruler that not only measures, but folds into a variety of shapes certain to amuse and delight. My dad bought me one when I was young, and I had hours of fun with it. Now my son has an identical model, and makes handlebars, levers, firehoses, and sometimes hats. We practice counting using the printed numbers, and fold the entire ruler into each of the letters of the alphabet.

Read more at the link, search for carpenter's rulers at Amazon.com, or check out these five-foot ($16) and three-foot ($12) folding rulers.