Sight and Sound

Investigate how sound travels by making earphones

You will need

Yoghurt pots or plastic cups

5m lengths of string

Paper clips

This activity works well if the children are able to work in pairs.

To make the earphones:

Poke a small hole carefully in the bottom of the pot/cup. (This should be done by an adult)
Decorate the pot/cup.
Thread one end of the string through the hole of one of the pots from the bottom up so that the string end comes up in the pot/cup.
Tie the end of the string to a paper clip to prevent the string slipping through the hole.
Do the same with another pot/cup.
Ask the children to hold onto their cup and walk away from each other until the string is taught.
Take it in turns to speak quietly into the cup and listen with the pot/cup held against the ear.
What happens if the string is not taught?
Explain how the cup vibrates when you speak into it which makes the string vibrate and then the cup next to the ear which all makes the sound travel.
Discuss sound with the children.

'The Best ears in the World': A first look at sound and hearing, Claire Llewellyn.