Unleash the Jitterbug! A thrilling engineering activity using electric excitement with off-centre cam magic!

Science2Life’s Science iT! Activities takes everyday life objects, toys and knick-knacks and turns them into fun, innovative science projects.

In this activity Scientific Sue uses a simple circuit with a motor and off-centred mass to turn a pot into a Jitterbug! In fact the vibrating circuit could be attached to a range of items. What would you like to see vibrate across the floor?

This activity allows your children to learn to build electrical circuits in a unique, engaging, fun and achievable way!

We supply the items required to bring your bug creation to life. Hear it buzz and watch it skitter across the table or floor.

With a little more ingenuity  you can turn this Jitterbug into a Drawbot! Just add felt tipped pens as legs and turn your design into a drawing machine. Switch on the motor and watch your creation come to life to wiggle and vibrate across the page. The Drawbot Click on this link to see it in action!

Contents:

• 350 ml pot with lid x 30
• Battery holder with wires and switch x 30
• AA Battery x 30
• Motor tag connectors x 60
• 5 V motor x 30
• Off-centre Cam x 30
• Motor clip x 30
• Sticky glue dots x 300
• Lolly pop sticks x 100
• Wiggly eyes x 60
• Bag of craft materials
• Teaching notes

What you need:

What will your creation look like?

Art materials to turn your machine into the most unique bug!

This kit makes use of a rapidly spinning off-centre mass to cause movement.

In these images the circuit is placed on top the lid – the lid is then connected to the item you wish to turn into a jitterbug.

Our bug with the battery and motor inside the pot.

The Jitterbug!

Click on the link above to see my creation in action! The art materials are not included –  our creations  are just intended to show you how easily the vibrating lid or pot can be modified.

The circuit can be placed on to of the lid or pot or inside the pot – If inside the pot you will find there is more scope for decorating your vibrating creature.

If the motor mount is on top pipe cleaners and other items can be added to the yellow cam to creating a spinning nose or tail!

Jitterbug_Teacher_Curriculum_Sheet – Click here to view the full curriculum links for Ireland, Northern Ireland, England & Wales.

Curriculum Links:

• construct a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, including battery, wires, switch and motor.
• recognise that a switch opens and closes a circuit and associate this with whether the motor spins or not.
• develop and design an innovative, functional and appealing product that is fit for purpose.

Science2Life’s Science iT! activities and programmes

Children love to be engaged in learning, especially through interactive projects that they can really get involved and be hands on with.

Science2Life’s Science iT! activities and programmes are part of our STEAM Academy. The activities use everyday life objects, toys and knick-knacks and turns them into fun, innovative, hands-on experiences designed to encourage children to:

• discover the amazing world of science and engineering
• to perform engaging activities that show how science and engineering is at work in their everyday lives
• to foster a lifelong love of science and engineering
• to give a basic grounding in scientific concepts and scientific thinking
• to increase children’s motivation to learn and
• enhance their perception, creativity and logic.

Hands-on learning is learning by doing.

Children involved in our ‘Science iT!’ activities and programmes are introduced to various STEAM learning methods and activities. Our creative programmes involve learning activities that require active thinking and experimenting to find out how things work. We all know how curious children are about the world around them and how they love using the word ‘why?’

The aim of our activities is to provide optimal learning opportunities that strategically help children grasp mathematics, engineering and science concepts.

The inclusion of the arts component into STEM makes it more fun to learn, and more approachable to children.

Art education allows children to learn things in a more open-ended way and make them applicable to real life.

Links to the curriculum

All of Science2Life activities can be used to entertain children – however they have been created with the curriculum in mind, so are perfect activities to generate mesmerizing examples of the topics they can be used to explore.

All of our Science iT! activities can up scaled-up to be used in workshops within the classroom, for festival and birthday celebrations, which provide opportunities for children to collaborate on initiatives, explorations and creations.

The idea behind our Science iT! activities is to ignite children’s natural innate curiosity about the world around them (and the items in it) and to channel their enthusiasm for scientific discovery as early as possible.

Currently Science2Life have the following Science iT! activities:

1. The Magical EVANESCO Spell
2. The Magical AMORTENTIA Spell
3. The Super Bouncing Bubble Kit
4. Make your own Fossil Kit
5. Colour Changing Bracelet Kit
6. Pneumatic Monsters Activity
7. Creative Circuits
8. The Magical Wandarama
9. Gone Fishing
10. The Jitter Bug

All of the above can be upscaled to become workshops. Interested? Give us a call!

Scientificsue@science2life.com

+447970884728

Note: All of Science2Life’s STEAM ACADEMY shows and workshops are designed to not only motivate and fire the spirit of discovery within your children but also ignite curiosity in their minds.

For more information on our shows visit our website: https://www.science2life.com

Sparks of imagination are at the heart of creativity!
                                                                                   – Scientific Sue

The post JITTERBUG ACTIVITY CLASSROOM KIT (30) appeared first on Science2Life.

This activity is perfect for the classroom or for a birthday party!

The kit contains:

• 30 Dragon Templates
• 300 Paperclips
• Magic Wand
• 3 Neodymium Magnets
• a balancing stick

Method

1. Cut out the Dragon.
2. Add more decoration using coloured pencils or crayons.
3. Balance the Dragon on a finger. Where is this balancing point?
4. Add one paperclip to each of the Dragon’s wings.
5. Balance the Dragon again. Where is the balancing point this time?You will notice the point – we call this point the Centre of Mass – will have moved closer to the dragons’ nose.
6. Repeat this process until the Dragon can balance horizontally on a fingertip.
7. Encourage the children to explore balancing the dragon on other objects around the room

Using Magic to get your Dragon to spin

In your kit there would also have been a kebab stick, a Magic Wand and 3 neodymium magnets

One magnet is attached the end of the wand with a sticky dot.

The other magnets are placed on each of the wings of your balancing dragon.

When you bring the magnet on the wand close to the magnets of the wings of the dragon the magnetic fields will interact and the Dragon will either be pushed away or pulled towards the wand.

• Abracadabra
• Alakazin
• Locomotor Magic
• Make my Dragon Spin!

Science in a Nutshell

All objects have a balancing point, called the centre of gravity. The lower you make the centre of gravity the more stable the object is.

The centre of gravity is also often called the centre of mass.

This balancing dragon is a toy that has its centre of gravity located at the tip of its nose. The centre of gravity is a special point on an object. It’s the point at which the weight of the body Is perfectly balanced.

To engineer it so that the centre of gravity is at the tip of the nose, the wings have been designed to extend in front of the nose far enough, and made heavy enough (with the addition of the paper clips or other masses), to balance the weight of the bird at its nose.

In most objects it is not clear where the centre of gravity is. If an object has a strange shape, then you cannot know by looking at it where the centre of gravity is.

If an object has a uniform shape, like a pencil, or a square, then the centre of gravity is easy to determine. It’s in the centre of the object. But for objects with non-uniform shapes this is not known ahead of time. To find the centre of gravity for these objects you need to use trial and error. You must try balancing the object on different points until you find where the object is perfectly balanced, and doesn’t fall over.

This point, once found, is the centre of gravity.

The post ACROBATIC DRAGON ACTIVITY appeared first on Science2Life.

Part of Science2Life’s SCIENCE iT! Series

Turn everyday objects into exciting science projects with Scientific Sue! This buzzing, wiggling Jitterbug activity lets children explore the science of movement and simple electrical circuits in a creative, hands-on way.

What is it?

In this fun STEAM activity, your child will build a simple electric circuit using a 5V motor and an off-centre spinning weight. Attach it to a colourful pot, do some creative decorating and buzz! – you’ve got a jittering, skittering bug that zooms across the floor or table!

With a little extra imagination, your Jitterbug can become a Drawbug – just add the felt-tip pen legs and watch it scribble wild, spinning patterns across the page!

 Click here to see it in action!

What Will They Learn?

• How to build a simple electrical circuit
• What happens when you add an off-centre spinning mass
• How to experiment with motion, vibration, and balance
• How creative thinking turns science into fun

What’s in the Kit?

Everything you need to make your bug jitter, skitter and draw:

• 1 x 5V motor
• 1 x motor clip
• 1 x off-centre cam wheel
• 1 x battery holder with switch
• 1 x pot with lid
• Sticky glue dots
• 3 legs
• 3 felt-tip pens
• 1 x AA battery
• 2 x googly eyes
• 4 x Colourful pipe cleaners

 You’ll need: Your own art and craft materials to personalise your creation – extra pipe cleaners, pompoms, sequins, feathers… whatever brings your bug to life!

Curriculum Links

• Build a simple series electrical circuit using motors, wires, switches and batteries
• Understand how switches control current and movement
• Design and make a unique, functional vibrating product
• Explore energy transfer and forces in action

Top Tips

• Place the motor inside the pot for easier decorating
• Or mount it on top to add spinning tails, noses or hats!
• Try attaching the circuit to other objects – what else can you make move?

Ready to buzz into action?
Whether you’re building a bug or creating a Drawbug masterpiece, this kit is the perfect way to mix science, engineering and creativity in one unforgettable experience.

What will your creation look like?

The Jitterbug!

Click on the link above to see my creation in action! The art materials are not included –  our creations  are just intended to show you how easily the vibrating lid or pot can be modified.

Science2Life’s Science iT! activities and programmes

Children love to be engaged in learning, especially through interactive projects that they can really get involved and be hands on with.

Science2Life’s Science iT! activities and programmes are part of our STEAM Academy. The activities use everyday life objects, toys and knick-knacks and turns them into fun, innovative, hands-on experiences designed to encourage children to:

• discover the amazing world of science and engineering
• to perform engaging activities that show how science and engineering is at work in their everyday lives
• to foster a lifelong love of science and engineering
• to give a basic grounding in scientific concepts and scientific thinking
• to increase children’s motivation to learn and
• enhance their perception, creativity and logic.

Hands-on learning is learning by doing.

Children involved in our ‘Science iT!’ activities and programmes are introduced to various STEAM learning methods and activities. Our creative programmes involve learning activities that require active thinking and experimenting to find out how things work. We all know how curious children are about the world around them and how they love using the word ‘why?’

The aim of our activities is to provide optimal learning opportunities that strategically help children grasp mathematics, engineering and science concepts.

The inclusion of the arts component into STEM makes it more fun to learn, and more approachable to children.

Art education allows children to learn things in a more open-ended way and make them applicable to real life.

Links to the curriculum

All of Science2Life activities can be used to entertain children – however they have been created with the curriculum in mind, so are perfect activities to generate mesmerizing examples of the topics they can be used to explore.

All of our Science iT! activities can up scaled-up to be used in workshops within the classroom, for festival and birthday celebrations, which provide opportunities for children to collaborate on initiatives, explorations and creations.

The idea behind our Science iT! activities is to ignite children’s natural innate curiosity about the world around them (and the items in it) and to channel their enthusiasm for scientific discovery as early as possible.

Currently Science2Life have the following Science iT! activities:

1. The Magical EVANESCO Spell
2. The Magical AMORTENTIA Spell
3. The Super Bouncing Bubble Kit
4. Make your own Fossil Kit
5. Colour Changing Bracelet Kit
6. Pneumatic Monsters Activity
7. Creative Circuits
8. The Magical Wandarama
9. Gone Fishing
10. The Jitter Bug

All of the above can be upscaled to become workshops. Interested? Give us a call!

Scientificsue@science2life.com

+447970884728

Note: All of Science2Life’s STEAM ACADEMY shows and workshops are designed to not only motivate and fire the spirit of discovery within your children but also ignite curiosity in their minds.

For more information on our shows visit our website: https://www.science2life.com

The post 10 JITTERBUG – A Science iT! Activity appeared first on Science2Life.

Make Your Own Fossil Kit!

Science2Life’s Science iT! Activities take everyday life objects, toys and knick-knacks and turns them into fun, innovative science projects.

In this activity Scientific Sue uses the quick drying action of casting stone to help create 3D copies of your dinosaurs of choice.

Turn your children into little archaeologists with our DINO DIG Kit.

A complete learning activity – this mega dig kit includes everything you need to create and uncover your very own fossils!

Ideal gift for any dinosaur fan!

This kit contains:

• Dinosaur puzzle
• 2 Dinosaur toys
• Casting foam
• Wooden Tools
• Toothbrush
• 3 x 32 g casting stone (enough to make 3 models)
• Measuring cup
• Dinosaur box – to be coloured in

Build your dinosaur skeleton puzzle: bury it, cast it, then dig it!

Building this 3D puzzle stimulates logical thinking and special imagination.

1. Build your Dinosaur puzzle.
2. Gently push it into the foam mould using the wooden stick – this ensures no finger marks are made.
3. Carefully remove your dinosaur skeleton.
4. Carefully measure 10 ml of water and add it to 32 g (or 30 ml) of dental stone powder.
5. Mix until you have a smooth paste (a bit like a thick batter) – 30 seconds max.
6. Pour the paste into the mold – use the lollipop stick to smooth the surface.
7. Leave for 60 minutes.
8. Place your mould on a tray.
9. Carefully remove the outer layer of the foam with your fingers.
10. As you get closer to the skeleton you will then need to use the wooden stick.
11. The toothbrush is then used to brush away the foam that is found within the rib cage and other crevasses.
12. When completely dry paint your fossil!

Casting stone can be used to collect many kinds of impressions. Forensic scientists use it a lot to gather impressions of shoe prints and type tracks.

Casting stone emits a little bit of heat while it hardens – so we can’t use it for impressions made in snow!

Science2Life’s Science iT! activities and programmes

Children love to be engaged in learning, especially through interactive projects that they can really get involved and be hands on with.

Science2Life’s Science iT! activities and programmes are part of our STEAM Academy. The activities use everyday life objects, toys and knick-knacks and turns them into fun, innovative, hands-on experiences designed to encourage children to:

• discover the amazing world of science and engineering
• to perform engaging activities that show how science and engineering is at work in their everyday lives
• to foster a lifelong love of science and engineering
• to give a basic grounding in scientific concepts and scientific thinking
• to increase children’s motivation to learn and
• enhance their perception, creativity and logic.

Hands-on learning is learning by doing.

Children involved in our ‘Science iT!’ activities and programmes are introduced to various STEAM learning methods and activities. Our creative programmes involve learning activities that require active thinking and experimenting to find out how things work. We all know how curious children are about the world around them and how they love using the word ‘why?’

The aim of our activities is to provide optimal learning opportunities that strategically help children grasp mathematics, engineering and science concepts.

With the inclusion of the arts component into STEM it makes it more fun to learn, and more approachable to children.

Art education allows children to learn things in a more open-ended way and make them applicable to real life.

Links to the curriculum

All of Science2Life activities can be used to entertain children – however they have been created with the curriculum in mind, so are perfect activities to generate mesmerizing examples of the topics they can be used to explore.

Plus our Science iT! activities can up scaled-up to be used in workshops within the classroom, for festival and birthday celebrations, which provide opportunities for children to collaborate on initiatives, explorations and creations.

The idea behind our Science iT! activities is to ignite children’s natural innate curiosity about the world around them (and the items in it) and to channel their enthusiasm for scientific discovery as early as possible.

Currently Science2Life have the following Science iT! activities:

1. The Magical EVANESCO Spell
2. The Magical AMORTENTIA Spell
3. The Super Bouncing Bubble Kit
4. Make your own Fossil Kit
5. Colour Changing Bracelet Kit
6. Pneumatic Monsters Activity
7. Creative Circuits
8. The Magical Wandarama
9. Gone Fishing
10. The Jitter Bug

Each of the above activities can be turned into a workshop programme! Interested? Give us a call!

Scientificsue@science2life.com

+447970884728

Note: All of Science2Life’s STEAM ACADEMY shows and workshops are designed to not only motivate and fire the spirit of discovery within your children but also ignite curiosity in their minds.

For more information on our shows visit our website: https://www.science2life.com

The post 4 DINO DIG KIT – A Science iT! Activity appeared first on Science2Life.

Hand held ultra violet lamp

This gift is a must for inquisitive budding (and not so budding) scientists!

This handheld ultraviolet (UV) light scanner is usually used to check the validity of passports and bank notes. The lamps sheds UV light on the bank notes to reveal embedded safety features such as UV marks, metal thread or watermarks.

UV marks will glow when exposed to UV light, metal threads will shine out, and watermarks will be fully visible.

• Ideal for festivals, events and mobile outlets
• Shows hidden features with glow in UV light
• Requires 4 x AA batteries (not supplied)
• Includes a built in torch and carry handle
• Suitable for most currencies

Passing Secrets

Any proper spy will find the need to pass secret information along to an ally securely. There are many techniques to do so – sometimes, they can be highly technical, such as an encrypted message, but other times simply hiding information just outside of plain sight can be very effective.

This handheld ultraviolet light scanner is the perfect gift for budding spies and is used in our Mysterious Microbes Workshop to help highlight the importance of hand-washing.

There are lots of everyday materials that fluoresce or glow when placed under a black light – a black light gives off highly energetic ultraviolet light. We can’t see this part of the spectrum, which is how ‘black’ lights got their name.

Follow this link to find 16 things that glow under ultraviolet (black) light.

Fluorescent substances absorb the UV light and then re-emit it almost instantaneously. Some energy gets lost in the process, so the emitted light has a longer wavelength than the absorbed radiation, which makes this light visible and causes the material to appear to glow. Fluorescent molecules tend to have rigid structures and delocalised electrons.

Check out our colour changing beads!

Note: This product has been tested for reliability on most currencies and we are confident that it is effective. We cannot, however, be held liable for any loss or damage which result from using the product.

The post HANDHELD ULTRAVIOLET (UV) LIGHT appeared first on Science2Life.

Amaze your children or pupils with this magical colour changing bracelet kit and glow in the dark energy beads!

Kit contents

• 100 UV mixed colour changing / glow in the dark pony beads 8 mm x 6 mm
• 3 Scroubidou Strings (100 cm)
• 1 piece of soft cord (100 cm)
• 1 UV light pen
• Small tub

Indoors they are coloured dull white but will change into coloured beads (green, yellow, pink, blue or purple) once you expose them to sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) light. 

Make them into bracelets or necklaces or use them on hair braids.

The beads can be used to demonstrate the effectiveness of UV protection in sunglasses, during sun cream experiments or in Science2Life’s Mysterious Microbes Workshop.

• Change colour when exposed to sun or UV light
• Comes with 2 threading strings so that you can start your jewellery making immediately!
• Perfect for making bracelets, necklaces and other wearable craft items.
• Adult supervision is always advised

Research companies use these beads for testing the effects of sun cream and whether it’s able to protect skin from the UV rays. You can use them for research too!

They will change colour backwards and forwards many times. Test the ability of your sunglasses to block out ultraviolet light by covering a few beads with the lens of your sunglasses, if the beads do not change colour, your sunglasses block out harmful ultraviolet light from your eyes. If the beads change colour change your sun glasses!!

Test a variety of glass and plastic materials to determine which materials block out UV light.

This activity is a fun way to make sure your children are protected from the UV rays during the summer sun.

Continuous exposure to UV rays’ overtime will compromise the colour changing properties. The contact of sunscreen products on the beads can also impact on the colour changing pigments of the beads.

Warning: Keep away from small children and pets – choking hazard.

Science2Life’s Science iT! activities and programmes

Children love to be engaged in learning, especially through interactive projects that they can really get involved and be hands on with.

Science2Life’s Science iT! activities and programmes are part of our STEAM Academy. The activities use everyday life objects, toys and knick-knacks and turns them into fun, innovative, hands-on experiences designed to encourage children to:

• discover the amazing world of science and engineering
• to perform engaging activities that show how science and engineering is at work in their everyday lives
• to foster a lifelong love of science and engineering
• to give a basic grounding in scientific concepts and scientific thinking
• to increase children’s motivation to learn and
• enhance their perception, creativity and logic.

Hands-on learning is learning by doing.

Children involved in our ‘Science iT!’ activities and programmes are introduced to various STEAM learning methods and activities. Our creative programmes involve learning activities that require active thinking and experimenting to find out how things work. We all know how curious children are about the world around them and how they love using the word ‘why?’

The aim of our activities is to provide optimal learning opportunities that strategically help children grasp mathematics, engineering and science concepts.

With the inclusion of the arts component into STEM it makes it more fun to learn, and more approachable to children.

Art education allows children to learn things in a more open-ended way and make them applicable to real life.

Links to the curriculum

All of Science2Life activities can be used to entertain children – however they have been created with the curriculum in mind, so are perfect activities to generate mesmerizing examples of the topics they can be used to explore.

Plus our Science iT! activities can up scaled-up to be used in workshops within the classroom, for festival and birthday celebrations, which provide opportunities for children to collaborate on initiatives, explorations and creations.

The idea behind our Science iT! activities is to ignite children’s natural innate curiosity about the world around them (and the items in it) and to channel their enthusiasm for scientific discovery as early as possible.

Currently Science2Life have the following Science iT! activities:

1. The Magical EVANESCO Spell
2. The Magical AMORTENTIA Spell
3. The Super Bouncing Bubble Kit
4. Make your own Fossil Kit
5. Colour Changing Bracelet Kit
6. Pneumatic Monsters Activity
7. Creative Circuits
8. The Magical Wandarama
9. Gone Fishing
10. The Jitter Bug

Each of the above activities can be turned into a workshop programme! Interested? Give us a call!

Scientificsue@science2life.com

+447970884728

Note: All of Science2Life’s STEAM ACADEMY shows and workshops are designed to not only motivate and fire the spirit of discovery within your children but also ignite curiosity in their minds.

For more information on our shows visit our website: https://www.science2life.com

The post 5 COLOUR CHANGING BRACELET KIT – A Science iT! Activity appeared first on Science2Life.