Plunk, squek, buzz, and crackle. Sounds are everywhere! Have fun with these projects

Water-glass Xylophone

One sound wave you have made, and have probably been told to stop making is by tapping a glassful of water with a spoon. This is not a polite dinnertime activity, but at some other time you can have fun creating different sounds with water glasses, or bottles in the kitchen. Take eight glasses or empty soda bottles of about the same size to make a water glass xylophone. Line the glasses up in a row. Fill the first glass nearly to the top, put a little less water in the second one than you did in the first, a little less in the third than you did in the second and so forth, until you reach the eight glass, where you shall put in only a little bit of water. When you tap the full glass lightly with a spoon it will make a low sound and each of the others will make a higher sound. The sound note increases from low to high as the water decreases. With this you can play simple tunes.

Tin can telephone

The principle you learned about traveling trough string can be used to make you r own private telephone. Cut the lid off two tin cans or oatmeal cartons. Punch a hole in the bottom of the cans with a hammer and a nail. Cut a piece of string about 50 feet long and put one end through the hole in each can. Tie a button to the ends of the string inside the cans so that the string will not slip out.

Have a friend take one of the tin cans phones and you hold the other. Move apart so that the string is pulled tight between you and isn’t touching anything. Then talk into your tin can while your friend holds his to his ear.