3 STEM-tastic Experiments

At Team Repair we are big believers in making science fun, hands-on and engaging for all. There are plenty of wonderful experiments you can do at home or in the classroom, to bring the wonder of science right into your immediate surroundings. When learning is fun, you’ll get a lot more from it! Here are 3 STEM-tastic experiments.

1. Tin Can Telephone [1]

This experiment is undoubtedly, an absolute classic! We probably have all tried this one as kids. But do you know the fun science behind it?

When one person speaks into their cup/ can, the bottom of the can vibrates very quickly with the soundwaves of the person’s voice. These vibrations then travel through the piece of string, which in turn makes the second cup vibrate with these travelled sound waves. The second person hears the sound waves and therefore receives the first person’s message! Make sure that the string is pulled tight, so the vibration and resulting sound wave is strong and can travel. [2]

Here’s how to do the experiment: [1]

What you’ll need:

-String

-Two tin cans (washed and empty)

-A bottle opener/ small hammer

-Paint (optional)

-Tape (for top of the can)

Steps

1. Tape up the top of the tin cans (be careful as it's sharp!)
2. Take bottle opener or small hammer and make a small hole in the bottom of each can.
3. Bonus step- If you want to get creative, paint your tin can a colour of choice!
4. Thread the string through each hole and tie a not in each end.
5. Make sure the string is pulled tight.
6. Speak into the tin can, and let the other person hear the message by placing the tin can to their ear!
7. Have hours of fun with your very own tin can telephone, all thanks to the marvellous mechanics of sound waves!

For full details and photo guide head to: https://lifeovercs.com/tin-can-telephone-sound-wave-science-experiment/

2. Make a Paper Circuit [3]

Make a paper circuit out of copper tape and learn all about electricity, batteries, components and electrons. You’ll be amazed when the light switches on!

How does it work? Well, for a closed circuit, an energy source (in this case, a battery) must be connected to a light source like an LED via a continuous path for the electric current to flow through. In this case, the circuit's path is formed by copper tape, and the light component will illuminate when the current flows from the battery, through the path and reaches it. [3] Enlightening!

What you’ll need:

-Adhesive copper tape

-A piece of paper(about A5)

-Power source

-An LED light

-Masking tape

Steps

1. Draw a  path on the piece of paper, marking where the light and battery will be. This represents the circuit and its components!
2. Make sure the path is complete (leaving room for components).
3. Cover the drawn path with the coper tape- leave space for LED bulb and the battery.
4. Connect the long leg of the LED to the positive side of the battery.
5. Connect the short leg to the negative.
6. Using tape, secure the LED to the circuit!
7. Watch your circuit light up! [3]

For full details and a photo guide head to: https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/paper-circuits/

If you want to get creative, try making a card and attaching the circuit to create a light up effect! [5]

Visit https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Light-Up-Cards/ for full details.

Bonus circuit activity!

Our Retro Games Console Kit contains a circuit activity as part of the repair! Our kit comes with the circuit template already created and teaches about the exciting real world applications of circuits. It also utilises a resistor and gives students an insight into current regulation. If you want to get all of these resources in one place as well as a video guide and many more hours of STEM fun, check out our programme here!

3. DIY Water Filter [6]

This experiment is all about getting water clean. Kids will have great fun learning about how water gets filtered through this hands on activity. The longer it takes for the water to come out the other side, and the more times the experiment is completed, the cleaner the water will become. [7]

Filtering water for use is hard and expensive, and this experiment is a great way to demonstrate this to young students, to make them aware of the importance of saving water.

What you’ll need: [6]

-Mud, coffee grounds, crunched up old leaves (for the dirty water)

-Measuring cup

-Spoon

-Stopwatch

-Pencil and paper

-Gravel, sand, cotton balls (filter materials)-Coffee filter/ paper towel

-2-litre plastic bottle, (make sure it is washed and empty)

-Water

Steps

1. Cut the 2L bottle in half. Flip the top half over and put it in the bottom half of the bottle, so it looks like a funnel.
2. Place the coffee filter inside the upside down bottle half.
3. Add the first round of filter materials ie. bits of gravel.
4. Mix up your water with the mud to make it dirty
5. Pour the dirty water in and start your timer.
6. Time how long it takes for the water to go through. Make a note of this time.
7. Take the filter materials (gravel) out
8. Repeat with other materials, (e.g sand) to see how different materials have different impacts on the filtration process! For a bonus round, try all your filtering materials together to see how clean the water can become. Keep repeating until your water is clear.

Science experiments can be thirsty work, but be sure not to drink any of the water! It isn't as clean as it looks.

For full details and photo guide head to: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/books/article/water-wonders

Team Repair

Completing fun experiments at home or in the classroom is one of the most impactful ways to get kids excited about science. At Team Repair, we are dedicated to making STEM engaging for all, as well as exploring the real world applications of science. We have a range of kits teaching a wealth of curriculum aligned STEM topics, from circuits and electricity to coding and video game design. Find out more here!

[1] https://lifeovercs.com/tin-can-telephone-sound-wave-science-experiment/

[2] https://science.howstuffworks.com/question410.htm

[3] https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/paper-circuits/

[4] https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/paper-circuit

[5] https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Light-Up-Cards/

[6] https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/books/article/water-wonders

[7] https://science-u.org/experiments/water-filter.html#:~:text=During the Experiment&text=Activated charcoal is carbon that,get trapped inside the charcoal.

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