Sound Sandwiches

What you need:

• Jumbo craft sticks

• Wide rubber bands

• Narrow rubber bands

• Plastic drinking straws

• Scissors

• Markers

What you do:

1. Take one craft stick and stretch a wide rubber band lengthwise over it.

2. Take 2 straws and cut them to be about 1 1/2 inches long.

3. Place both straw pieces under the rubber band and make them so they are about 1/3 of the way from the end of the stick on both sides.

4. Now place the second craft stick on top so that the straws are sandwiched in between.

5. Take the thinner rubber bands and wrap them around each end of the craft sticks so that it creates a sandwich.

6. Now, you can use your sound sandwich like a harmonica!

Questions to ask:

1. What do you feel when you make noise with the sound sandwich?

2. How does the sound change when you blow harder/softer?

3. Does the sound change when you move the end rubber bands close together or farther apart?

What's the science:

Sound is caused by vibrations. When those vibrations move through the air and reach our ears, we hear the vibrations in the form of sound. Stronger vibrations create louder sounds, and weaker vibrations make quieter sounds. Faster vibrations create higher pitched sounds while slower vibrations create lower pitched sounds. Sound is a form of energy and some sound waves have so much energy they can move objects.