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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.
Homemade Rube Goldberg Machine
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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.
Make a Mobile!
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In this activity, learners make mobiles to explore the concepts of balance, counterbalance, weight, and counterweight.
Spool Racer
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In this physics activity, challenge learners to make a rubber band-powered spool racer. Demonstrate principles of motion as well as potential and kinetic energy.
Building a Magic Carpet
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In this activity (page 89 of the PDF), learners compare and contrast pitch and roll motions by using a Magic Carpet maze similar to one that was used for Neurolab investigations about microgravity.
Paper Tape Motion Timer
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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.).
Loony Balloons
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In this activity, learners investigate how changing the center of gravity of a balloon affects how it travels. Learners fill a balloon with a little bit of water and insert into an empty balloon.
Cylindrical Wing
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In this design and physics challenge, learners construct a cylindrical wing, fly it, make modifications, and determine how the changes affect flight patterns.
Sliding and Stuttering
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Learners use a spring scale to drag an object such as a ceramic coffee cup along a table top or the floor.
Building a 3-D Space Maze: Escher Staircase
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In this activity (page 95 of the PDF), learners create Escher Staircase models similar to those that were used by Neurolab's Spatial Orientation Team to investigate the processing of information about
Airboat
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In this activity related to Newton's Laws of Motion, learners build a boat powered by a propeller in the air.
Vector Toy
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Walk a toy to the edge of its doom, maybe it'll fall off the edge of a table, but it will safely stop right before falling.
Balloon Car
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In this activity, learners explore force and motion by constructing cardboard cars that are propelled by balloons.
Bernoulli Brain Teasers
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In this activity related to flight, learners conduct two simple tests to explore how lift works.
Finger Basketball
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In this activity, learners build mini-basketball courts using cardboard and measuring spoons. Use this activity to introduce learners to catapults, forces, and levers.
Rolling Returns
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In this activity, learners build a special rolling can that returns back to you when you push it forward. Use this activity to demonstrate the transfer of energy between kinetic and potential energy.
Weather Vane
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In this meteorology activity, learners build weather vanes using straws, paperclips, and cardstock.
Roller Coaster Design
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This activity (on page 3 of the PDF under GPS: Roller Coaster Design Activity) is a full inquiry investigation into g-force and acceleration.
Squeeze the Stream
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In this activity related to flight, learners build a tiny stream channel to investigate how fluids (air and water) change speed as they flow between and around objects.
Newton's in the Driver's Seat
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In this playful physics activity (page eight of the pdf), learners use toy cars to explore how speed and weight affect the results of collision.