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Fan Cart
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If a sailboat is stranded because there is no wind, is it possible to set up a fan on deck and blow wind into the sail to make the boat move?
Electric Paddle Boat
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In this activity, learners build an electric two-paddle boat using paint paddles, plastic knives, and empty water bottles.
Creepy Crawlers
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Trick your family and friends with this creepy crawler that moves up and down. In this activity, learners construct a circuit and motor device that will move a homemade spider in a spooky way.
Aluminum-Air Battery: Foiled again!
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Construct a simple battery that's able to power a small light or motor out of foil, salt water, and charcoal. A helpful video, produced by the Exploratorium, guides you along on this activity.
Stripped-down Motor
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In this activity, you'll make an electric motor--a simple version of the electric motors found in toys, tools, and appliances everywhere.
Motor Effect
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In this activity about electricity and magnetism, learners examine what happens when a magnet exerts a force on a current-carrying wire.
Motor Bird
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In this activity, learners build a bird that flies in place with help from a motor, wire, and some straws.
Speedboat
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In this activity, learners build a speedboat using paint paddles, a propeller, and film canister. Learners attach a simple circuit and motor to the boat to power the propellers.
Push Pull Painter
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In this activity, learners create painting machines that can paint moving forwards and backwards.
Motor Effect
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See what force a magnet has on a wire that has current running through it: will it push it, pull it, or will nothing happen? This is the foundation of a simple electric motor.
Personal Fan
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Cool off in the heat with this project! Learners use simple materials to build a fan that runs on a motor.
Cactus Needle Phonograph
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Build a phonograph record player using a cactus needle, a record, LEGOs gear box, and a piece of paper! This activity uses a Pico Cricket to turn the motor.
Forward-Reverse Switch
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In this activity, learners build a switch to turn electrical circuits on and off.
Motorized Balancing Toy
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In this activity, learners build a toy that flies in circles. This activity introduces learners to center of mass, torque, and rotational motion.
Mechanical Madness
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In this online Flash game, learners test their engineering know-how, moving a collection of mechanical parts onto a board to make complete a system of parts that will move a ball from start to finish.
Simple Spinner
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In this activity, learners create a tiny electric, motorized dancer. Learners use the interactions of magnetism and electric current to make a wire spin, while displaying the Lorentz Force in action.
Cup Draw (Low Tech)
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In this activity, learners construct drawing machines using a cup, some markers, and a battery pack. The markers act as "legs" for the machine, making a drawing that records as it moves.
Cup Draw
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In this activity, learners construct drawing machines using a cup, some markers, and a cricket to control the movement. A programmed LEGO RCX or Cricket is required for this high-tech version.
Cable Car
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In this activity, learners string a line across the room and build cable cars that can move from on end to the other.
Hovercraft
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In this activity, learners build a hovercraft using a paper plate, cup, and simple motor.