Our Activities
Heres a few experiments you could try at home:
⚙️ Mechanics Experiments
🧪 Experiment 1: Balloon-Powered Cars
Concepts: Air propulsion, Newton’s Third Law of Motion
Materials:
• Plastic bottle caps (wheels)
• Straws
• Balloons
• Tape
• Cardboard or plastic bottle (car body)
• Wooden skewers or pencils (axles)
• Scissors
Instructions:
1. Build the car body using cardboard or a plastic bottle.
2. Attach the wheels: Poke holes in bottle caps, insert skewers/pencils as axles, and secure to the body.
3. Make the propulsion system: Insert a straw into a balloon and tape it shut, then tape the straw to the top of the car facing backward.
4. Power the car: Blow into the balloon, hold the air in, place the car down, and release!
5. Experiment: Try different balloon sizes and surfaces to see how speed changes.
Lesson:
Air escapes the balloon, pushing backward and propelling the car forward—demonstrating Newton’s Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
🛝 Experiment 2: Ramp Races
Concepts: Gravity, friction, motion, speed
Materials:
• Toy cars
• Books, cardboard, or wood planks (ramps)
• Felt, sandpaper, plastic, or cardboard (surfaces)
• Ruler or tape measure
• Stopwatch (optional)
Instructions:
1. Build a ramp using books or planks.
2. Test different heights and observe speed and distance.
3. Try different surfaces on the ramp and observe how they affect motion.
4. Measure distance and time for each test.
5. Analyze how friction and ramp angle affect speed.
Lesson:
Gravity pulls the car downward, and a steeper ramp increases speed. Surface friction affects how far and fast the car goes. Rougher surfaces slow the car down; smoother ones let it travel farther.
⚙️ Experiment 3: Gear Ratio Experiment
Concepts: Mechanical advantage, torque, gear ratios, rotational motion
Materials:
• Bottle caps (various sizes)
• Cardboard
• Skewers or pencils (axles)
• Rubber bands
• Tape or glue
• Scissors or hole punch
• Ruler (optional)
Instructions:
1. Create gears using bottle caps and punch holes for axles.
2. Assemble the gear system: Attach caps of different sizes to axles on cardboard.
3. Connect gears with rubber bands, making slits in cap edges for teeth if needed.
4. Turn the driver gear and observe how the driven gear moves.
5. Experiment with more gears to explore gear chains and mechanical advantage.
Lesson:
Larger gears provide more torque but less speed. Smaller gears offer higher speed but less force. Gear ratios are used in bike gears and car transmissions to balance speed and power.
🚗 Experiment 4: DIY Shock Absorbers
Concepts: Suspension systems, impact absorption, force distribution
Materials:
• Toy car or cardboard car model
• Rubber bands (varied strength)
• Straws (for axles)
• Tape or glue
• Ruler
• Small blocks (optional for drop tests)
Instructions:
1. Prepare the car chassis or use a toy car.
2. Install axles with straws or cardboard tubes.
3. Create suspension: Connect axles to the body with rubber bands.
4. Add wheels to the ends of the axles.
5. Test impact: Drop the car from a small height and observe.
6. Compare suspensions with different rubber band strengths.
Lesson:
Rubber bands simulate real suspension systems. Softer bands absorb more shock but may reduce stability, while stronger bands improve stability but absorb less. Real cars use springs and dampers for comfort and control.
Science experiments:
Catapult
Need:
• 4 Popsicle sticks
• 1 plastic spoon
• Rubber bands
• Firing Power (mini marshmallows, pompoms, pencil-top erasers)
Steps:
1. Bundle 3 popsicle sticks together using rubber bands on both ends to hold them tightly.
2. Slide the fourth popsicle stick in between the bundled sticks—this will act as the lever.
3. Rubber band the plastic spoon to one end of the loose stick.
4. Rubber band the opposite end of that stick behind the bundle so the spoon points outward.
5. Load your “firing power” into the spoon, pull down, and launch!
Notes:
You can experiment with using fewer or more sticks for the base, depending on stick size and stiffness.
Water Tornado
Need:
• 1 full plastic water bottle
• 1 empty plastic water bottle
• Duct tape or water-sealing tape
• (Optional) Dish soap and/or glitter
• Kitchen foil
• Sharp tool (used by adult/volunteer)
Steps:
1. Add glitter or a drop of dish soap to the full water bottle (optional).
2. Use a sharp tool to poke a small hole in the bottle cap of the full bottle.
3. Screw the cap back on tightly.
4. Stack the empty bottle upside down on top of the full one, aligning the lips.
5. Seal the two bottles together with duct tape, and then wrap kitchen foil around the seal for extra support.
6. Flip the bottle setup upside down and swirl to form the tornado!
Notes:
Try this over a sink or outdoors—just in case of leaks!
Oobleck Stress Ball
Need:
• ¾ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup water
• Empty water bottle
• Funnel
• Balloon
Steps:
1. Place a funnel into the water bottle and pour in the cornstarch.
2. Add water to the bottle, screw the cap on, and shake well until the oobleck thickens.
3. Stretch the balloon’s opening over the bottle lip.
4. Flip the bottle to fill the balloon with oobleck.
5. Gently remove the balloon and tie it closed.
Notes:
If oobleck gets stuck, squeeze the bottle to push it through. Toss the bottle after use. The funnel is reusable.
Paper Airplanes
Need:
• 3–5 sheets of paper
• Paper airplane scoring sheet (print or photocopy)
Steps:
1. Fold two sample paper airplanes (use familiar designs like the dart and the glider).
2. Make up to three airplanes of your own design for testing.
3. Use the scoring sheet to test flight distance, hang time, and accuracy.
Notes:
Let kids be creative with designs—they can compete or modify as they learn!
