Exploring the Science of Sounds by Abigail Flesch Connors

Author:Abigail Flesch Connors
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gryphon House Inc.
Published: 2017-06-19T19:44:37+00:00

This has been one of my students’ favorite activities for years. I always use the same green, plastic coffee can for the game, so when they see me bring it out they know what’s coming and get excited. Children love guessing games, but of course this is a special kind of guessing game—one in which they’re making “educated guesses.” These guesses should be grounded in their knowledge and sensory experiences.

What You’ll Need

Plastic coffee can

Variety of items, such as small jingle bells, wooden and/or plastic beads, paper clips, sand, wooden blocks, twist ties, plastic tags from bread loaves, cotton puffs, small plastic manipulatives, plastic bottle caps, small bouncy balls, plastic building bricks, erasers, small pebbles, acorns (unless someone has an allergy to tree nuts), seashells, and so on

Activity to Try

Ahead of Time:

Fill the container halfway with one of the items you have gathered.

With the Children:

1. Start things off with a flourish, bringing out the can and announcing, “And now it’s time for the Mystery Music Can!” Wonder aloud what could be in the can. Give the can a shake and look surprised and intrigued. Ask the children if they think it will sound the same if you shake it again. Listen to their responses. Try it so children can hear that it does sound the same.

2. Pass the can around the circle. Each child can shake it for a few moments and listen to the sound carefully. Remind them not to open it and not to shake it too hard—they could accidentally hit themselves in the face or bump the can on the floor, making the lid pop off. Children should shake it just hard enough to hear the sound. They may want to shake it near their ears.

3. After everyone’s had a turn, ask the children if they think they know what might be inside. Children should raise their hand before calling out. They’ll need to be reminded of this because they get very excited and can’t wait to tell everybody their guesses.

4. When everyone who has a guess has shared it with the group, reveal the contents of the can. So that the whole group can see more easily, I usually pour some of the items out in my hand rather than just holding out the lidless can.

Questions to Ask

• You’ve asked them what they thought was in the can. But remember to ask, too, how they came to their conclusion. Listen to their ideas.

• Then you might say something like, “Even though he didn’t get the right answer, Vihan made a very good guess, because it showed he could tell the things inside were small and hard.” This kind of comment communicates to children that thinking logically is valuable and important.

• What were you thinking of when you tried to figure out what was inside?

• Did you think of other things you’d heard that sounded like it?

Discovery to Make

Children can identify sounds by careful listening and by thinking of other objects they’ve heard that have the same or a similar sound.

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