Day 958 | Science Crafting
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Science + crafting...oh, yes! They definitely go together. I'm hoping this can be a new trend in our schedule. Thanks to Grandma Bibi, we have a new book (The Usborne Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do) to guide us through all kinds of fun science crafts. I'm not exaggerating to say that I'm beyond impressed with this book. So many fun + easy activities...so little time.
Today's project?
Floating Ball Game
Materials needed:
- cardstock-weight paper
- tape
- scissors
- bendy straws
- poster putty or clay
- a large coffee mug (or other circular item to trace)
- aluminum foil
Directions
- Trace a circle onto the cardstock using the mug.
- Cut out the circle and pass decorate as desired.
- Make a cut into the middle, then bend the sides around to make a cone. Tape the edges.
- Cut a small piece off the point of the cone (to make a hole for the straw).
- Push the short end of the bendy straw into the hole.
- Press the poster putty around the end of the straw. Then, slide the straw down until the poster putty is resting in the bottom of the cone (see bottom-left photo above).
- Create a ball using the aluminum foil that is about the size of a cherry. Put the ball in the cone. Bend the end of the straw and blow through it.
Our boys were less interested in the levitating ball idea and were more interested in seeing how far they could launch those little silver balls. It was pretty fun, I have to say. What did they learn, you might ask? Here's the blurb from the book to describe the science-y part of the craft:
High Pressure
When you blow through the straw, a jet of air whooshes up under the foil ball. This high pressure jet sends the ball up into the air. As the air flows up the sides of the cone, it spreads out and loses pressure. The foil ball bounces about as it hits the high and low air pressures above the cone.
That's what you were thinking, right? Yeah, me too. Stay tuned for more science crafts in the future. I hope you're just as excited as we are!
