The following projects make up the full year membership. Should you elect the six months membership, it will include the first six kit titles.
/ Electricity and Switches
Students will explore the fundamentals of electronics with this simple electrical circuit. This activity provides a true hands-on experience with construction and wiring. Upon completion, students create a "take home game" which requires steady hands to win. |
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/ Simple Machines and Mechanics
Simple machines are devices we use to make work easier. These machines include door knobs, can openers, clothespins, pencil sharpeners and wheelbarrows. It is difficult to go through a day without using many simple machines. In this unit the student will build their own simple machine. They will theorize about how energy is transferred to objects that are propelled through the air. As they consider the properties of the various balls used in the unit, they will theorize which will travel the farthest. |
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/ Earth-Sun Relationship
Observations of the properties of light and tracking the motion of the sun will be discussed in this unit. All students will construct a sundial and test it’s validity outdoors. |
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/ Motion and Design
The focus of the student’s attention will be on precision assembly as they construct their rocket car. Consideration of symmetry, friction, and other variables will ensure a fast car that all club members will appreciate when they race their creations. The principle of "Newton’s Third Law of Motion" will be applied throughout this activity. |
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/ The Food Web
This hands-on experiment allows students to investigate the food web, identify animal skeletons, and practice dissecting skills. Each student will dissect an owl pellet and classify the remains using a bone-sorting chart. |
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/ Meteorology
In this kit, students will build their own weather station. As do meteorologists, students will be able to measure rainfall, wind speed, wind direction and temperature. As the keep track of the results they record, students can begin to see pattern changes and, over time they will more fully understand their ever changing weather. |
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/ Properties of Sound
In this session students will explore the fundamentals of sound through the vibration of metal. Each student will build their own thumb piano and have the opportunity to discover the concepts of wavelengths, frequency and pitch. |
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/ Hydraulics
From backyard log splitters to huge cranes operating at construction sites, these machines use hydraulics to move materials. Tractors, dump trucks, and even most car brakes use this simple concept to transfer force from one place to another. In the hydro lift unit, students will build their own hydraulic lift and learn about the transfer of energy used to increase force. They will demonstrate the basic principles of hydraulics. Their project will enable them to observe the way force is moved from one place to another and measure the movements that many familiar hydraulic machines demonstrate. |
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/ Crime Chemistry
This experiment encourages students to use their imagination and problem solving skills to solve a mystery. Using the scientific technique called "chromatography" club members must discover which pen wrote the "ransom note" by testing pens to uncover the pigments that are combined to make black ink. A take home activity accompanies this experiment using M & Ms and Reese’s Pieces. |
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/ Properties of Light
Students build lamp assemblies and create their own lighthouses ...from which light rays emerge and are used for studying the behaviors and properties of light. Student experiments include the reflection, refraction, and the convergence of their light rays. |
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/ Magnetism and Electricity
For hundreds of years we have been fascinated by the mysterious behavior of magnets, compasses, and electricity. Students will have the opportunity to study these behaviors and "see" the invisible forces at work. They will also build their own electric motors. |
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/ Renewable Energy in Cars
The earth has many sources of energy. From renewable sources like the sun and the wind … to non-renewable ones like coal and oil, the earth provides for our need of energy to warm our homes, power our factories, and keep our cars moving. In the solar energy unit students will create their own solar powered car and observe the use of the sun’s energy to power a vehicle. Indoors or outdoors, this project is sure to excite the student and give them a sense of wonder and pride. |
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