The Exploratorium Science Snackbook E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 489

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

Kids and teachers can build their own science projects based on exhibits from San Francisco's premiere science museum This revised and updated edition offers instructions for building junior versions, or "snacks," of the famed Exploratorium's exhibits. The snacks, designed by science teachers, can be used as demonstrations, labs, or as student science projects and all 100 projects are easy to build from common materials. The Exploratorium, a renowned hands-on science museum founded by physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer, is noted for its interactive exhibits that richly illustrate scientific concepts and stimulate learning. * Offers a step-by-step guide for building dynamic science projects and exhibits * Includes tips for creating projects made from easy-to-assembly items * Thoroughly revised and updated, including new "snacks," images, and references

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Welcome to the 2009 Edition of the Exploratorium Science Snackbook

Introduction

What is a science Snack?

Why are they called Snacks?

What can you do with a Snack?

Why republish the Snackbook?

What’s in a Snack?

Icon Key

Tips and Tales—By Teachers, for Teachers

Making Your Own Science Exhibits

Building a Mini-Exploratorium

Finding a New Approach to the Science Fair

Placing Hands-On Materials Around Your Classroom

Using Snacks as a Science Library

Offering Hands-On Science in Nontraditional Classrooms

Building an Interactive Science Museum

Taking Snacks on Tour

PART ONE - THE CHESHIRE CAT AND OTHER EYE-POPPING EXPLORATIONS OF HOW WE SEE ...

AFTERIMAGE - A flash of light prints a lingering image in your eye.

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

ANTI-GRAVITY MIRROR - It’s all done with mirrors.

Introduction

Assembly - (With stand, 15 minutes or less; without stand, 5 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or less)

What’s Going On?

BENHAM’S DISK - A rotating black-and-white disk produces the illusion of color.

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

BIRD IN THE CAGE - Stare at one color—but see another.

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or less)

What’s Going On?

BLIND SPOT - To see or not to see.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or less)

What’s Going On?

BRONX CHEER BULB - Some light sources wiggle and flash when you give them the raspberry.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice - (5 minutes or less)

What’s Going On?

CARDBOARD TUBE SYLLABUS - Your brain combines information from your eyes in ...

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

1. Hole in Your Hand

2. Overlapping Spots

3. Circles or Ovals?

4. Lateral Inhibition

CHESHIRE CAT - Make a friend disappear, leaving only a smile behind.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

COLOR CONTRAST - A colored object may look different against different-colored backgrounds.

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or more)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

DEPTH SPINNER - What happens when you get off the merry-go-round?

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or less)

What’s Going On?

DISAPPEARING ACT - If you want to stay hidden, you’d better stay still.

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (5 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

EVERYONE IS YOU AND ME - See yourself become someone else!

Introduction

Assembly - (1 hour or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

FADING DOT - Now you see it; now you don’t: An object without a sharp edge can ...

Introduction

Assembly - (5 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or less)

What’s Going On?

FAR-OUT CORNERS - Your experience of the world influences what you see.

Introduction

Assembly - (1 hour or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

GRAY STEP - Without a boundary, it’s hard to distinguish different shades of gray.

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (5 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

JACQUES COUSTEAU IN SEASHELLS - There’s more to seeing than meets the eye.

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (5 minutes or more)

MIRRORLY A WINDOW - What you see is often affected by what you expect to see.

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes, plus time for glue to dry)

To Do and Notice - (5 minutes or less)

What’s Going On?

MOIRÉ PATTERNS - When you overlap materials with repetitive lines, you create ...

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

PERIPHERAL VISION - We’re not usually aware of our eyes’ limitations.

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

PERSISTENCE OF VISION - Your eye and brain hold on to a series of images to ...

Introduction

Assembly - (5 minutes or more)

To Do and Notice - (5 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

PUPIL - Your pupil changes size to control how much light enters your eye.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

SIZE AND DISTANCE - A clueless way to determine the size of an object.

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

SQUIRMING PALM - This visual illusion makes the palm of your hand appear to ...

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice

What’s Going On?

THREAD THE NEEDLE - Using two eyes gives you depth perception.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice - (5 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

VANNA - A face seen upside down may hold some surprises.

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (5 minutes or more)

WHIRLING WATCHER - When you view short bursts of moving images, you see some ...

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice

What’s Going On?

PART TWO - THE COOL HOT ROD AND OTHER ELECTRIFYING EXPLORATIONS OF ENERGY AND MATTER

CHARGE AND CARRY - Store up an electric charge, and then make sparks.

Introduction

Assembly

Electrophorus:

Leyden Jar:

To Do and Notice - (30 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

CIRCLES OF MAGNETISM I - You can make a magnetic field that’s stronger than the earth’s!

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

CIRCLES OF MAGNETISM II - Two parallel, current-carrying wires exert forces on ...

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

COLD METAL - “Cold” metal and “warm” wood may be the same temperature.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice

What’s Going On?

CONVECTION CURRENTS - Make your own heat waves in an aquarium.

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or more)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

COOL HOT ROD - Objects change size when heated or cooled.

Introduction

Assembly - (30 minutes or more)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

CURIE POINT - When a piece of iron gets too hot, it is no longer attracted to a magnet.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

EDDY CURRENTS - A magnet falls more slowly through a metallic tube than it does ...

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice

What’s Going On?

ELECTRICAL FLEAS - Start your own electric flea circus!

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

ELECTROSCOPE - What’s your (electrical) sign?

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice

What’s Going On?

FOG CHAMBER - Make a portable cloud in a bottle: Now you see it; now you don’t!

Introduction

Assembly - (5 minutes or more)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

GAS MODEL - Caged molecules do their thing.

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

GIVE AND TAKE - Dark-colored materials both absorb and emit energy more readily ...

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

HAND BATTERY - Your skin and two different metals create a battery.

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

HOT SPOT - You can focus the invisible light from an electric heater.

Introduction

Assembly - (5 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice

What’s Going On?

MAGNETIC LINES OF FORCE - Iron filings will trace out the lines of a magnetic ...

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (5 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

MAGNETIC SUCTION - This investigation shows how your doorbell works.

Introduction

Assembly - (15 minutes or less)

To Do and Notice - (15 minutes or more)

MOTOR EFFECT - A magnet exerts a force on current-carrying wire.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice

What’s Going On?

RADIOACTIVE DECAY MODEL - Substitute coins for radiation.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice - (30 minutes or more)

What’s Going On?

SHORT CIRCUIT - What happens when you blow a fuse?

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice

What’s Going On?

STRIPPED-DOWN MOTOR

Make a simple mini-motor.

Introduction

Assembly

To Do and Notice

What’s Going On?

PART THREE - THE MAGIC WAND AND OTHER BRIGHT EXPLORATIONS OF LIGHT AND COLOR

BLUE SKY

BONE STRESS

BRIDGE LIGHT

COLOR TABLE

COLORED SHADOWS

CORNER REFLECTOR

CRITICAL ANGLE

CYLINDRICAL MIRROR

DIFFRACTION

DISAPPEARING GLASS RODS

DUCK-INTO KALEIDOSCOPE

GIANT LENS

INVERSE-SQUARE LAW

LOOK INTO INFINITY

MAGIC WAND

PARABOLAS

PINHOLE MAGNIFIER

POLARIZED LIGHT MOSAIC

POLARIZED SUNGLASSES

ROTATING LIGHT

SOAP FILM PAINTING

SPECTRA

SPHERICAL REFLECTIONS

TOUCH THE SPRING

WATER SPHERE LENS

PART FOUR - THE SPINNING BLACKBOARD AND OTHER DYNAMIC EXPLORATIONS OF FORCE AND MOTION

BALANCING BALL

BALANCING STICK

BERNOULLI LEVITATOR

BICYCLE WHEEL GYRO

BUBBLE SUSPENSION

BUBBLE TRAY

CENTER OF GRAVITY

COUPLED RESONANT PENDULUMS

DESCARTES DIVER

DOWNHILL RACE

DRAWING BOARD

MOMENTUM MACHINE

NON-ROUND ROLLERS

RESONANT PENDULUM

RESONANT RINGS

RESONATOR

SOAP BUBBLES

SPINNING BLACKBOARD

STRANGE ATTRACTOR

TAKE IT FROM THE TOP

VORTEX

WATER SPINNER

PART FIVE - THE WIRE-HANGER CONCERTO AND OTHER EAR-SPLITTING EXPLORATIONS OF ...

ANTI-SOUND SPRING

BEE HUMMER

COFFEE-CAN CUICA

CONVERSATION PIECE

DESIGNER EARS

DOPPLER EFFECT

FALLING RHYTHM

HEAD HARP

MAKE YOUR OWN RAINSTICK

ORGAN PIPE

PIPES OF PAN

RADIOHEAD

SOUND SANDWICH

SPEAKER

STEREO SOUND

STRAW OBOE

WATER-BOTTLE MEMBRANOPHONE

WIRE-HANGER CONCERTO

About the Exploratorium and the Exploratorium Teacher Institute

Contributors

National Science Education Standards

Concept Index

References and Resources

Content Index

For the Exploratorium—www.exploratorium.edu

PUBLISHER: Robert J. Semper

BUSINESS MANAGER: Kurt Feichtmeir

CONTENT: Paul Doherty, Don Rathjen, and the staff of the Exploratorium Teacher Institute

PROJECT DIRECTOR/CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Ruth Brown

PROJECT COORDINATOR: Laura Jacoby

PHOTOGRAPHY: Esther Kutnick, Susan Schwartzenberg, Amy Snyder

ILLUSTRATION: Larry Antila, David Barker, Gary Crounse, Jad King, Arthur Koch, Luisa Kolla, Alisa Lowden, Peter Olguin

RESOURCE EDITOR: Judith Brand

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS CONSULTANT: Rilla Chaney

BOOK DESIGNER AND COMPOSITOR: Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

All images copyright © 2009 Exploratorium

The original Exploratorium Science Snackbook, upon which this book is based, was made possible by a grant from The Pacific Telesis Foundation and funding for the Teacher Institute, a part of the Exploratorium Regional Science Resource Center, California Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and the Walter S. Johnson Foundation.

Exploratorium® is a registered trademark and service mark of the Exploratorium.

Copyright © 2009 by the Exploratorium. All rights reserved.

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eISBN : 978-0-470-54163-0

PB Printing

Welcome to the 2009 Edition of theExploratorium Science Snackbook

The Exploratorium turned forty in 2009, and this volume is just one of the many ways we’re celebrating four decades of creativity, collaboration, and growth with the science-education community.

This book, originally published in 1991, began as a labor of love, as science teachers from the San Francisco Bay Area looked for innovative ways to bring the Exploratorium experience into their classrooms—all on a teacher’s budget! Today, these explorations have been adapted for schoolrooms, universities, and educational enrichment programs all over the world.

We hope this new edition of the Exploratorium Science Snackbook continues to offer new insights and tools to inspire teaching and learning in the sciences and beyond.

Dennis Bartels Executive Director, Exploratorium San Francisco July, 2009

Introduction

This book is full of Snacks ... but they’re not the kind you eat. Exploratorium Science Snacks are miniature versions of some of the most popular exhibits, demonstrations, and activities at the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s famed museum of science, art, and human perception.

For lack of a better description, the Exploratorium calls itself a museum. But the half-million visitors who come through the doors each year don’t find hushed corridors, watchful guards, or “do not touch” signs. Instead, they walk into a cavernous space filled with whirring, buzzing, spinning things, where people of all ages are smiling and laughing and calling out to one another.

At the Exploratorium, you can touch a tornado, look inside an eye, or pull a giant bubble over your head. You can make your way through a pitch-dark labyrinth using only your sense of touch, participate in a lecture and discussion with some of the leading scientists of the day, or watch the production of a live Webcast. When you’re done, you might find that you understand a little more about the world around you than you ever have before.

What is a science Snack?

Since the Exploratorium opened in 1969, teachers from the San Francisco Bay Area have brought their classes on field trips. As the popularity and reputation of the museum spread, teachers began to ask if there might be some way to bring the popular hands-on exhibits to their students. Our response was the creation of the Snackbook.

For three years, nearly a hundred teachers from the museum’s Teacher Institute worked with staff members to create scaled-down versions of Exploratorium exhibits. The results were dozens of exciting “Snacks”—miniature science exhibits and investigations that teachers could make using familiar, inexpensive, easily available materials.

Why are they called Snacks?

At the Exploratorium, nobody thinks twice when someone says they’re “building a Snack.” People know they’re a lot more likely to get instructions for creating a mini-exhibit than they are to get something to eat. Over the years, a community of teachers has spread the term to some far-flung places, but few know how it began. In fact, three books containing detailed instructions, or “recipes,” for building exact full-sized replicas of Exploratorium exhibits were published in the 1980s. These publications, designed for other science museums engaged in building their own exhibit collections, were called Cookbooks. Need we say more?

What can you do with a Snack?

When this book was originally published, we knew teachers would be able to use Snacks as demonstrations, lessons, and labs, and that students could use Snacks for group and individual projects. But it wasn’t long before we began to realize that Snacks were really getting around.

Within a week of publication, for example, we received a message from a teacher in the Australian Outback who needed help finding materials. We heard from elementary school teachers and university professors. Art teachers were using Snacks, as were shop teachers and math teachers. Sixth-graders at one school were building their own miniature science museum. At another school, an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher found that building Snacks helped her students interact more: Those who understood science best were helping those more adept at building things, and all were getting better at communicating with each other. Teachers from all grade levels and many subject areas were finding useful ideas in the Snackbook.

And it wasn’t just teachers who found Snacks useful: Children were bringing Snacks home to their families. Scouts were using Snacks to help get science badges. Snacks were making appearances at science fairs, birthday parties, and impromptu “magic” shows. In some cases, Snacks even found their way back to the Exploratorium as activities and demonstrations in museum events and programming.

Why republish theSnackbook?

The first edition of the Snackbook, which gathered together 107 science explorations based on Exploratorium exhibits, was published by the Exploratorium in 1991. In 1995, a revised and updated series of four books published by John Wiley & Sons offered many of the Snacks from the original book. Over time, however, the books went out of print and became more and more difficult to find. Materials once easily available were becoming scarce as well (record turntables, for instance, have become very hard to find, as have a variety of other handy toys and gadgets).

To commemorate the Exploratorium’s fortieth anniversary, we decided to bring the Snackbook out of retirement and make it available once again. As a testament to the staff members and Teacher Institute teachers who worked so hard to make the first Snackbook a reality, we decided to update the activities, but keep the funky, fun flavor of the originals. So in this new edition, we’ve left the 1991 version much as it was—from the simple line drawings in the Snacks to the telltale fashions of our models.

On the surface, then, this book may look a bit retro, but there’s nothing old about it. In addition to redeveloping the Snacks, we’ve included helpful information, updated the references and resources, added a new section of sound and hearing Snacks, and included charts identifying associated National Science Education Standards. There are helpful indexes, new time estimations, and suggestions for activity extensions.

With the growing importance of science and technology, and the unprecedented challenges being faced by science teachers today, this book offers the practical tools and information teachers need to transcend the limits of their textbooks and make science come alive in the classroom and beyond.

What’s in a Snack?

IMPORTANT SAFETY MESSAGE

BE CAREFUL The experiments in this volume were designed with safety and success in mind. But even the simplest activity or the most common materials can be harmful when mishandled or misused. Use common sense whenever you’re exploring or experimenting.

Icon Key

HOW TO USE CONTENT INCONS

Watch for the icons that accompany each Snack. Each icon represents a concept addressed, and/or the foundational ideas introduced or supported by the Snack. In addition to being a quick way to see how a Snack might be used for teaching and learning, icons can also offer ideas for extending and connecting concepts in the classroom.

Tips and Tales—By Teachers, for Teachers

The first Snackbook was published in 1991, and over the years, we’ve heard from hundreds of teachers and youth leaders who wanted to share their Snack-related ideas and experiences. Here are some helpful stories and suggestions—by teachers, for teachers.