Sound Explorations
Sound is a form of energy. Sound is caused by vibrations of an object or substance,
Some force/action causes the vibration.
We hear sound when the vibrations reach our ears.
Sounds are made when something vibrates.
Sound travels through many things.
Different sizes of vibrating objects make different sounds.
Vocabulary
Sound, source, vibration, pitch, volume, timbre
Vibration means moving back and forth. Hold your hand near your ear,
then vibrate your fingers and hand very fast. What happens? Can you hear
whirring sound?
When you hear a sound it is made by something that is vibrating.
Explorations
Vibrations with Flat Objects
Using different rulers in different positions, what kinds of sound can you make?
What’s needed: Rulers of different sizes (wood, metal, plastic), large and small craft sticks.
Hold a ruler flat on the table so a portion of it extends off the edge. Flick the overhanging part of the ruler and see/listen to the result. Does the sound change if the ruler is a different material?
A little at a time, slide more of the ruler off the edge while still firmly holding the ruler flat to the table. How does the sound change?
Questions/prompts:
What do you think is making the sound? What is the source? What is the action?
How might we make the sound higher or lower?
What is the difference in sound with different materials?
What else might we use?
Vibrations and Water
What different sounds can you make with water?
What’s needed: Pitchers of water, chopsticks, clear glass jar or glasses, plastic and glass bottles
Put some water in different containers and make sounds by blowing or hitting the container.
Questions/prompts:
What different ways are there to make sounds?
What do you think is making the sound? What is the source? What is the action?
How might we make the sound higher or lower?
How are the sounds different when you blow and when you hit?
How might you make an instrument with four different containers?
Vibrations with Metal
What’s needed: coat hangers; string, scissors and metal objects to hang from the hanger such as small oven racks, spoons
Cut two pieces of string (16-18 inches) and tie them onto a coat hanger, cake rack or large metal utensil. Gently swing the object away from your body and tap a hard surface like the edge of a table or back of a chair. Describe the sound you hear.
Wrap the loose ends of the string around your index fingers and place your fingers next to your ears. Gently swing the object away from your body and tap a hard surface like the edge of a table or back of a chair. Describe the sound you hear
Questions/prompts:
What is making the sound? What is the source? What is the action?
What differences do you hear with different objects?
What about different string?
What about different lengths of string
Paper Cup Telephone: Vibrations with Cups and String
What’s needed: Paper cups (size) string, scissors, something to make hole in cup sand large paper clips.
Poke one hole in the bottom of two cups.
Cut a string at least 20 feet long and thread the ends into the cups.
Tie a paperclip to each end of the string (this anchors the string inside each cup without have to tie large knots). Do the same at the other end
Try out your telephone with a partner. Try it first with the string loose between you, then make the string taut. Is it any different?
Questions/prompts:
Can you hear one another? If not, how can you fix it?
What do you think is happening?
What matters to make it work?
What changes do you think would happen with different cups? Different string? Etc.
Can you make a “party line”? If so, how?
Banjo Boxes: Vibrations with Rubber Bands
Using rubber bands and small boxes, what kinds of sounds can you make?
What’s needed: Large rubber bands, empty boxes, blocks of sticks to raise
Stretch two-three different-sized rubber bands around a box. Pluck the rubber bands and compare sounds. What happens when you add a pencil “fret”?
Questions/Prompts:
What is making the sound?
How might we make the sound higher or lower?
What is the difference in sound with different rubber bands? Different boxes?
Sound Scape
Sit in one spot. Listen to the sounds around you:
Where are they coming from?
What is making the sound?
Draw a dot or person in the middle of your paper: That’s you.
Describe the sounds you hear? Can you make the sounds yourself?
Listening Walk: Sound Map
Draw the path on your paper.
Walk slowly down the path.
Mark the places where a sound is coming from and indicate what it sounds like/what it might be.
Be sure to include landmarks so others know where the sound was heard.
When you come in, add your sounds to the large “map.”
Draw the path on your paper.
Walk slowly down the path.
Mark the places where a sound is coming from and indicate what it sounds like/what it might be.
Be sure to include landmarks so others know where the sound was heard.
When you come in, add your sounds to the large “map.”
Light and Shadows Explorations
Outside Shadows
Investigate shadows created by sunlight.
What’s Needed
sunny day
two or three large but lightweight objects to take outdoors, such as an umbrella, a broom, a hoop, or a jump rope
How to Do It
1. On a sunny day, talk together about investigating shadows outside.
2. Go outside and make a variety of shadows with your bodies or with the objects you have brought outside.
3. Talk about the shadows. What do they look like? How does the shadow differ from the object causing the shadow?
4. Some ideas to try:
Make your shadows smaller.
Make your shadows bigger.
Make your shadows touch even though you and your child are not touching each other.
Try to hide your shadow.
You and your child will have other ideas to try once you begin playing with shadows.
5. Experiment with different objects outside that will make interesting shadows. Make as many different shadows as you can.
Growing and Shrinking Shadows
Observe the changes in shadows over time.
What’s Needed
stick or chalk
stones
sunny day
How to Do It
1. Find a sunny place on the grass, dirt, or sidewalk.
2. Use a stick or chalk to mark where your child’s toes are, so that he can stand in the exact same place later on.
3. While your child is standing in the marked location, place a stone on the ground on the shadow of his head.
4. Return to the same location in about an hour.
5. Have your child put his toes in the place you marked.
6. Now place a stone on the shadow of your child’s head. What has changed?
7. Repeat this several times throughout the day, each time placing a new stone where the shadow of your child’s head is. What pattern do the stones make at the end of the day?
Inside Shadows
Explore how light can create different sizes and shapes of shadows inside, using a flashlight.
What’s Needed
crayons or markers (to draw shadow patterns)
flashlight
paper
pencil or pen
plastic toy animals, small stuffed animals, or other toys (at least 3 or 4 inches tall)
How to Do It
1. Place one of your small objects on a piece of paper on a table.
2. Turn on the flashlight, and make a shadow of the object on the paper.
3. Draw the outline of the shadow on the paper with your pen or marker.
4. Move the light, and see what happens to the shadow. Move the flashlight several times. Each time make a different drawing of the object’s shadow on the same piece of paper. Can you make a long shadow? A short shadow? Is the shadow always the same shape as the object?
5. Try using different objects to make shadows.
6. Can you make the shadow of an object smaller than the actual object? Can you make it bigger?
Make Your Own Sun
Use a flashlight to imitate the movement of the Earth around the sun.
What’s Needed
flashlight
paper
plastic toy animals, small stuffed animals, or other toys (at least 3 or 4 inches tall)
How to Do It
1. Pretend the flashlight is the sun, and use it to make a shadow of an object on the paper.
2. Move your “sun” slowly clockwise in a curved path around your object, imitating what we think is the sun’s daily motion of rising in the east and setting in the west. How do the shadows change? When are they longest? Where are they shortest?
Sound is a form of energy. Sound is caused by vibrations of an object or substance,
Some force/action causes the vibration.
We hear sound when the vibrations reach our ears.
Sounds are made when something vibrates.
Sound travels through many things.
Different sizes of vibrating objects make different sounds.
Vocabulary
Sound, source, vibration, pitch, volume, timbre
Vibration means moving back and forth. Hold your hand near your ear,
then vibrate your fingers and hand very fast. What happens? Can you hear
whirring sound?
When you hear a sound it is made by something that is vibrating.
Explorations
Vibrations with Flat Objects
Using different rulers in different positions, what kinds of sound can you make?
What’s needed: Rulers of different sizes (wood, metal, plastic), large and small craft sticks.
Hold a ruler flat on the table so a portion of it extends off the edge. Flick the overhanging part of the ruler and see/listen to the result. Does the sound change if the ruler is a different material?
A little at a time, slide more of the ruler off the edge while still firmly holding the ruler flat to the table. How does the sound change?
Questions/prompts:
What do you think is making the sound? What is the source? What is the action?
How might we make the sound higher or lower?
What is the difference in sound with different materials?
What else might we use?
Vibrations and Water
What different sounds can you make with water?
What’s needed: Pitchers of water, chopsticks, clear glass jar or glasses, plastic and glass bottles
Put some water in different containers and make sounds by blowing or hitting the container.
Questions/prompts:
What different ways are there to make sounds?
What do you think is making the sound? What is the source? What is the action?
How might we make the sound higher or lower?
How are the sounds different when you blow and when you hit?
How might you make an instrument with four different containers?
Vibrations with Metal
What’s needed: coat hangers; string, scissors and metal objects to hang from the hanger such as small oven racks, spoons
Cut two pieces of string (16-18 inches) and tie them onto a coat hanger, cake rack or large metal utensil. Gently swing the object away from your body and tap a hard surface like the edge of a table or back of a chair. Describe the sound you hear.
Wrap the loose ends of the string around your index fingers and place your fingers next to your ears. Gently swing the object away from your body and tap a hard surface like the edge of a table or back of a chair. Describe the sound you hear
Questions/prompts:
What is making the sound? What is the source? What is the action?
What differences do you hear with different objects?
What about different string?
What about different lengths of string
Paper Cup Telephone: Vibrations with Cups and String
What’s needed: Paper cups (size) string, scissors, something to make hole in cup sand large paper clips.
Poke one hole in the bottom of two cups.
Cut a string at least 20 feet long and thread the ends into the cups.
Tie a paperclip to each end of the string (this anchors the string inside each cup without have to tie large knots). Do the same at the other end
Try out your telephone with a partner. Try it first with the string loose between you, then make the string taut. Is it any different?
Questions/prompts:
Can you hear one another? If not, how can you fix it?
What do you think is happening?
What matters to make it work?
What changes do you think would happen with different cups? Different string? Etc.
Can you make a “party line”? If so, how?
Banjo Boxes: Vibrations with Rubber Bands
Using rubber bands and small boxes, what kinds of sounds can you make?
What’s needed: Large rubber bands, empty boxes, blocks of sticks to raise
Stretch two-three different-sized rubber bands around a box. Pluck the rubber bands and compare sounds. What happens when you add a pencil “fret”?
Questions/Prompts:
What is making the sound?
How might we make the sound higher or lower?
What is the difference in sound with different rubber bands? Different boxes?
Sound Scape
Sit in one spot. Listen to the sounds around you:
Where are they coming from?
What is making the sound?
Draw a dot or person in the middle of your paper: That’s you.
Describe the sounds you hear? Can you make the sounds yourself?
Listening Walk: Sound Map
Draw the path on your paper.
Walk slowly down the path.
Mark the places where a sound is coming from and indicate what it sounds like/what it might be.
Be sure to include landmarks so others know where the sound was heard.
When you come in, add your sounds to the large “map.”
Draw the path on your paper.
Walk slowly down the path.
Mark the places where a sound is coming from and indicate what it sounds like/what it might be.
Be sure to include landmarks so others know where the sound was heard.
When you come in, add your sounds to the large “map.”
Light and Shadows Explorations
Outside Shadows
Investigate shadows created by sunlight.
What’s Needed
sunny day
two or three large but lightweight objects to take outdoors, such as an umbrella, a broom, a hoop, or a jump rope
How to Do It
1. On a sunny day, talk together about investigating shadows outside.
2. Go outside and make a variety of shadows with your bodies or with the objects you have brought outside.
3. Talk about the shadows. What do they look like? How does the shadow differ from the object causing the shadow?
4. Some ideas to try:
Make your shadows smaller.
Make your shadows bigger.
Make your shadows touch even though you and your child are not touching each other.
Try to hide your shadow.
You and your child will have other ideas to try once you begin playing with shadows.
5. Experiment with different objects outside that will make interesting shadows. Make as many different shadows as you can.
Growing and Shrinking Shadows
Observe the changes in shadows over time.
What’s Needed
stick or chalk
stones
sunny day
How to Do It
1. Find a sunny place on the grass, dirt, or sidewalk.
2. Use a stick or chalk to mark where your child’s toes are, so that he can stand in the exact same place later on.
3. While your child is standing in the marked location, place a stone on the ground on the shadow of his head.
4. Return to the same location in about an hour.
5. Have your child put his toes in the place you marked.
6. Now place a stone on the shadow of your child’s head. What has changed?
7. Repeat this several times throughout the day, each time placing a new stone where the shadow of your child’s head is. What pattern do the stones make at the end of the day?
Inside Shadows
Explore how light can create different sizes and shapes of shadows inside, using a flashlight.
What’s Needed
crayons or markers (to draw shadow patterns)
flashlight
paper
pencil or pen
plastic toy animals, small stuffed animals, or other toys (at least 3 or 4 inches tall)
How to Do It
1. Place one of your small objects on a piece of paper on a table.
2. Turn on the flashlight, and make a shadow of the object on the paper.
3. Draw the outline of the shadow on the paper with your pen or marker.
4. Move the light, and see what happens to the shadow. Move the flashlight several times. Each time make a different drawing of the object’s shadow on the same piece of paper. Can you make a long shadow? A short shadow? Is the shadow always the same shape as the object?
5. Try using different objects to make shadows.
6. Can you make the shadow of an object smaller than the actual object? Can you make it bigger?
Make Your Own Sun
Use a flashlight to imitate the movement of the Earth around the sun.
What’s Needed
flashlight
paper
plastic toy animals, small stuffed animals, or other toys (at least 3 or 4 inches tall)
How to Do It
1. Pretend the flashlight is the sun, and use it to make a shadow of an object on the paper.
2. Move your “sun” slowly clockwise in a curved path around your object, imitating what we think is the sun’s daily motion of rising in the east and setting in the west. How do the shadows change? When are they longest? Where are they shortest?