Make a Pinball Machine

 In a Pinball Machine there are 3 different forces acting on the ball inside. The pinball machine is kept at an angle so gravity causes the ball to roll downwards towards the flippers. When the ball hits the flippers, or any of the obstacles in the pinball machine, contact force will cause the ball to change direction and then the third force that is acting on the ball is friction. The friction between the ball and the cardboard box causes the ball to roll rather than slide across the surface.

The first thing that we are going to do is make the flippers for your pinball machine. To do this we are going to cut a small slit out of each side of the show box. We are then going to cut a rectangle of card from some thick corrugated cardboard. You should be able to get this from some packaging. You want to make sure that the corrugations are facing downwards along the long side of the rectangle. We are then going to use a cocktail stick and push the cocktail stick through the corrugation and then into the slit in the side of the shoebox. You can then tape it in place

You should be able to move these cardboard flippers twisting on the cocktail stick. The next thing that you are going to do is start to design the obstacles inside the pinball machine. To do this you may like to use a range of different things. You may want to play around with different designs. You can use the milk bottle tops, straws, lolly sticks and card to make some obstacles inside your pinball machine. You can also use your colouring pens/ pencils/ crayons to decorate your pinball machine.

You are now ready to drop in your marble and test your pinball machine. I hope that you have fun!

The video tutorial for this activity is available on the Surrey Libraries Facebook Page or the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Off to the Arcade

 For our next science activity we are going to be making a pinball machine!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 1st October at 4.30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• A shoe box
• A pair of scissors
• Tape
• Cocktail Sticks
• Corrugated Card (from cardboard packaging)
• A Marble

You may also like to collect the following to decorate your pinball machine:

• Milk Bottle Tops
• Straws
• Lolly Sticks
• Colouring Pens/ Pencils/ Crayons

For more information watch our short introduction video.

Follow Surrey Libraries on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information and don't forget to visit Science Club on the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Newspaper Structures

 

Newspaper may not appear to be very strong, and individual sheets of newspaper can tear quite easily, but if you take many sheets of newspaper or even a whole newspaper and try and tear it you will find it a lot stronger.

If you roll up multiple sheets of newspaper into a tube and tape this together you have a strong shape which you can use as the base for building your newspaper structure

There are lots of different structures that you may like to try and build with your newspapers, you may want to try and build a tall tower. You may like to attempt to build a table or a chair or something similar and see if it can hold the weight of a book without collapsing. Or you may have your own idea of what you would like to build.

Remember when you are building your newspaper structure to think about what shapes you are using. You will want to use strong shapes to make your structure strong and ensure it doesn’t collapse or fall over. 

The video tutorial for this activity can be found on the Surrey Libraries Facebook Page or the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Newspaper Fun!

 For our next science activity we are going to be making Newspaper Structures!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 24th September at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• Some Newspapers
• Tape

For more information watch this short introduction video.

Follow Surrey Libraries on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information and don't forget to visit Science Club on the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Make a Model Spine

There are 206 bones in the human body and a human spine is made of 33 interlocking bones, called vertebrae, that run from the spine to the tailbone. Between each vertebra is a spongy disc that provides cushioning between the bones. There is a canal that runs through the length of the spine and this contains the spinal cord. The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that run to and from the brain.  

The first thing that you need to do is cut your cardboard egg boxes into individual sections. These are going to be the vertebra in the model

You are then going to cut some circles out of your foam/ felt. These are going to be the spongy discs between the vertebrae. You will need one to go between each egg box section.

You next need to make holes in the middle of the egg box sections and the foam/ felt circles

You can now start assembling the model. The pipe cleaner is the spinal cord and you want to start by threading an egg box vertebrae section, then thread a spongy disc section and repeat threading these onto the pipe cleaner.

You want to start and finish with an egg box section but you can make your model as big or small as you like

The video tutorial for this activity is available on the Surrey Libraries Facebook Page or the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Get Ready to Make a Model Spine...

For our next science activity we are going to be making a model of the human spine!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 17th September at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• Some cardboard egg boxes
• A pair of scissors
• Some Pipe Cleaners
• Some Craft Foam/ Felt or something similar

For more information watch this short introduction video.

Follow Surrey Libraries on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information and don't forget to visit Science Club on the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Make a Kaleidoscope

                                 

A kaleidoscope is made up of 3 mirrors. Mirrors are special surfaces that bounce back or reflect light. The way the kaleidoscope works is that the mirrors within it make multiple reflections

Now the first thing that you will need to do is get your piece of silver mirror card and measure along the long side and mark at 8, 16 and 24cm. You are then going to draw a line with your ruler.

                                          

You are now going to fold along these lines and with the mirror side facing inward tape the mirror card into a triangle. You may want to use your ruler to help you fold along the lines so that they are straight. You are then going to tape the mirror card together in this triangle shape

                                          

The next thing that you are going to do is wrap your piece of white card around your mirror card triangle. You are then going to tape the card in place. Make sure you use enough tape so that your kaleidoscope holds together.

                                              

Your kaleidoscope is now ready to use, so start by looking at different surfaces and see how the different colours and patterns are reflected inside. 

The video tutorial for this activity is available on the Surrey Libraries Facebook Page or the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel