Stomp Rockets, Catapults, and Kaleidoscopes. 30+ Amazing Science Projects You Can Build for Less than $1

177 Pages·2008·14.41 MB·English

by  Curt Gabrielson

Popular Science/Hobby Ages 9 & Up
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o Stomp
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to understand how something works than
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to build it yourself. How does a toilet flush? Find out with a plastic
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drink bottle and a length of flexible tubing. What about the fingers
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on your hand? Construct a working model of their muscles, bones, c
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and tendons using drinking straws, craft sticks, tape, and string.
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And how do musical instruments make sounds? Explore the many t T
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methods by creating your own harmonica, saxophone, marimba, s c e
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oboe, and guitar. C
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These and dozens of other hands-on projects can be found in Stomp
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Rockets, Catapults, and Kaleidoscopes. Kids will learn how to p
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build a:
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¥ Heart pump ¥ Lung model s Cat apult s,
¥ Rubber band racer ¥ Tornado in a bottle ,a and
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¥ Mini-bot ¥ Hydraulic butterfly
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¥ Electric car ¥ Crane K
¥ Helicopter ¥ And more! la Kaleidosco pes
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Each project has been designed to use recycled or nearly free materials. d
Kids will gain experience working with common tools and be encouraged o
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to modify and improve their designs. Includes step-by-step instructions
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with photographs, and summaries of the science behind the projects. o
p 30+ Amazing Science Projects
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Curt Gabrielson s
is the director of
You Can Build for LeSS thAn $1
the Watsonville Environmental
Science Workshop.
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$16.95 (CAN $18.95)
ISBN 978-1-55652-737-1
51695
Curt Gabrielson
9 781556 527371
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,
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Cat apults,
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30+ Amazing Science Projects
You Can Build for LeSS thAn $1
Curt Gabrielson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gabrielson, Curt.
Stomp rockets, catapults, and kaleidoscopes : 30+ amazing science
projects you can build for less than $1 / Curt Gabrielson. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-55652-737-1
1. Science—Experiments—Juvenile literature. 2. Scientific
recreations—Juvenile literature. I. Title.
Q164.G23 2008
507.8—dc22
2007037917
Cover and interior design: Monica Baziuk
© 2008 by the City of Watsonville
All rights reserved
First edition
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 978-1-55652-737-1
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
To the kids of Watsonville, California.
Here’s to many more years of great ideas
and science projects!

ACKnowledgmenTS
I had the privilege of working with many fine people to make this book
happen. Juan Jose Padilla and Lorena Onofre of our Students Teaching
Project shot and posed for many of the photos. Gustavo Hernandez, my
assistant extraordinaire, shot and posed for many photos, did a lot of edit-
ing, and kept hundreds of projects and parts organized in our cramped
space. Araceli and Frankie Ortiz and Erick Torres also helped with some
photos.
Paul Doherty of the Exploratorium Teacher Institute kindly proofed
these activities for content, and Pat Murphy in Exploratorium Publica-
tions (and of the Brazen Hussies!) gave a lot of useful advice.
Much appreciation goes to my wise superiors in the City of Watson-
ville’s Department of Public Works and Utilities—Tami Stolzenthaler,
Nancy Lockwood, Bob Geyer, David Koch—and also to Carol Thomas
and Al Smith, all of whom gave great support for this book. Thanks also to
Watsonville city manager Carlos Palacios and the city council for all their
support of the Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop past and
future. Finally, thanks for the support and ideas from other community
science workshop directors across the country.
Most of the ideas here originated or were significantly developed by stu-
dents and staff at the Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop. Like
folk tunes, science projects such as these are constantly being changed and
improved upon as they pass from hand to hand, shop to shop. I’ve given
credit within the chapter for ideas that I recall picking up from a distinct
person or place, whether or not that was the true origin.
 vii
ConTenTS
Introduction   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  xi
A Note to Adults  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
¥ Electricity and Magnetism
Holiday Light Circuit   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Crane   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Electric Car  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Electrostatics   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Magnetic Spinner  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Solenoid and Speaker   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
¥ Sound, Light, and Perception
Chirping Bird and Cuica  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Musica: Saxophone, Harmonica, Guitar, Bull Roarer,   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37  
Oboe, and Sucker
Xylophone and Marimba   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Kaleidoscope   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Thaumatrope   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
¥ Mechanics
Balancing Acts  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Catapult   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Dangling Spinner   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Mini-bot   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Rubber Band Racer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Voladores de Papantla (“Birdmen of Papantla”)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
¥ Fluids and Aerodynamics

Airplanes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Flying Fish   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Helicopters   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Hydraulic Butterfly  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Stomp Rockets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  104
Toilet  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  108
Tornado  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  113
¥ Biology
Eye Model  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  118
Fingers of the Hand   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  124
Heart Pump   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  129
Lung Model   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  135
¥ Chemistry
Cartesian Divers   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  139
Oil on Water  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  143
Gak and Oobleck  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  146
Appendixes
Bringing These Projects into the Classroom   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  151
About the Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  155
Index  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  157