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Floating Head Cup
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In this activity, learners watch a figure "magically" float up through the air.

Chirping Bird
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In this activity, learners build a cuica or chirping bird using straw, string, and a bottle cap. Use this activity to explore the interplay of motion and sound.

Thaumatrope
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In this activity, learners make an optical illusion toy from the 1800s to explore persistence of vision.

Micro Automata
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In this activity, learners build small animated toys that move.

Phenakistascope
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In this optics activity, learners build an animation tool to make mini movies. When you spin a phenakistascope, the pictures move so quickly that your eyes and brain can't separate the images.

Cranking Bird
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In this activity, learners build a mini crank machine to make a bird "fly." This engineering activity introduces learners to automata, rotational motion, cranks and cams.

Bearings for Your Whirligig
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Experiment with friction and make bearings for a whirligig! This activity is a nice introduction to friction and bearings and demonstrates why bearings are useful for spinning.

Thumb Piano
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In this activity, learners explore sound by constructing a simple piano out of wood and craft sticks.

Lever Cowboy
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In this activity, learners build a figure that moves and "comes to life" when they pull its string.

Sound Automata
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In this activity, learners build their own sound machines and explore the interplay of motion and sound.

Torsion Drum
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In this activity, learners build a musical drum using a cardboard tube, plastic wrap, and beads.

Dance Pad Mania
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Make your own "Dance Dance Revolution" dance pad! In this design challenge activity, learners work in teams to build a dance pad that lets you use your feet to sound a buzzer or flash a light.

Woodpecker
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In this activity, learners construct a traditional handicraft toy that illustrates a motion commonly associated with violins and earthquakes.

Straw Kazoo
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In this activity, learners make some music by constructing a kazoo out of a simple plastic drinking straw. Use this activity to explore sound, vibrations, and music.

Magnetic Seesaw
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In this activity, learners build a seesaw powered by magnets.

Kaleidoscope
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In this activity, learners investigate the reflective properties of light and mirrors as they make a kaleidoscope.

Carousel Pump
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In this activity, learners build a carousel toy that spins when pushed down.

Kaleidoscope
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In this activity, learners build inexpensive kaleidoscopes using transparency paper and foil (instead of mirrors).

Hot Air Balloon
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In this activity, learners build a hot air balloon using just a few sheets of tissue paper and a hair dryer.

Floating Butterfly
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In this activity, learners create a cool floating animal using the science of magnetism. Learners discover what happens when a piece of magnetic metal enters a magnet's field.