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Learners use shop tools and various materials to construct a magnetic spinner and a compass.

In this activity, learners discover that some things only stand up while they are spinning.

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?

Groups of learners are provided with a generic car base and an egg. Their mission: design a device/enclosure to protect the egg on or in the car as it rolls down a ramp with increasing slopes.

In this activity, learners create a traditional Mexican noisemaker (a matraca) using cardboard, craft sticks, and a wooden dowel.

In this activity, learners build a machine made of craft sticks to multiply the levering motion of their hands and create a device that bends and extends.

In this activity, learners investigate the properties of different types of balls.

In this activity, learners build a sled kite that models a type of airfoil called a parawing.

In this activity, learners construct their own small catapults using simple materials. Learners follow visual instructions to build their launching device.

In this activity, learners build a recording timer made from simple materials (e.g., small dc motor, sharpie pen, craft sticks, adding machine paper tape, etc.).

This activity (on page 2 of the PDF under SciGirls Activity: Kites) is a full inquiry investigation into how a kite’s shape affects its performance.

In this activity, learners use a nail and magnet wire to build an electromagnet, which controls the movements of a paper dancer.

In this activity, learners explore the concept of rotational equilibrium. Learners work in teams to estimate and determine the force within a mobile design.

In this activity, learners explore electronics and motion by making a Scribbling Machine, a motorized contraption that moves in unusual ways and leaves a mark to trace its path.

In this activity, learners build their own construction cranes using tongue depressors and pushpins.

In this fun and, at times, hilarious force and motion activity, learners will use household objects to build a crazy contraption and see how far they can get a tennis ball to move.

In this activity, learners build cars using syringes and water-powered hydraulics. Learners construct the car frame out of cardboard and set up a hydraulic system to raise and lower the car.

In this activity, learners construct cars that are powered by hand-made, electric propellers.

In this robotics activity, learners drive a remote-controlled car through a course to learn the challenges faced while trying to operate a planetary rover.

Cardboard Automata are a playful way to explore simple machine elements while creating a mechanical sculpture.