Posted: Tuesday 11 October 2011
P2 discover what really makes a sound?
The Primary 2 classes visited Strathclyde University on Tuesday 13 and 15 September to participate in a sound workshop.
Strathclyde Science and Technology Forum presents workshops for children aged 3-12 and supports events like the BA National Science Week and the annual Challenge of Engineering Trophy.
The pupils have been learning about the Five Senses in the classroom and were very excited about the trip.
Douglas Brown and Ann Morrow of Strathclyde University provided different activities for the children to explore sound with. Pupils played instruments and made loud and quiet sounds. Douglas explained that energy is needed to produce sounds and showed the classes a special machine that measured the noise produced by stamping their feet on the ground.
Pairs of children used balloons to feel sound vibrations passing between them. Pupils studied their own throats producing sounds by humming and feeling their voice boxes vibrating. They watched the air move down a slinky in waves to illustrate how sound travels.
Douglas used a machine to measure the sound of loud shouting which, not surprisingly, the children were very good at! The pupils experimented with musical instruments to produce high and low sounds and laughed to see Douglas cut a straw and blow through the top of it as the more he cut, the higher the sound became.
Primary 2 had both a fun and educational visit and also enjoyed the bus ride there and back.