Submarines and Pitch Training with Bubble Wrap

The activity in this post was used with pre-schoolers, but could be used to address this Next Generation Science Standards Objective.

1-PS4-1.	Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

This month's challenge from Project Recycle and Create was a tough one for me.  I finally just gave up and put the box of bubble wrap Daddy had collected at work in the middle of the room.   For a couple of days it looked like our bubble wrap project would consist of pinching it with our fingers.  Not creative, but we can always use a little more fine motor practice, right?

Then T- Rex started using a craft stick as a tool and suggested that we could make a submarine, since it would not float as well after the bubbles popped. Clever, yes?

Then the Pony Artist said, "Hey Mommy, listen to this!"  And started happily snapping some bubbles.  As I listened, I realized that the bubbles had a different pitch than the ones T-Rex was popping.  

I invited her to come over to the piano, and we worked on popping bubbles of different sizes and matching them to pitch of the piano keys.  Bigger bubbles make lower sounds. Smaller bubbles make higher sounds. 

 Pony Artist figured it out, but she and T-Rex most enjoyed the rhythm aspect of this activity and treated Baby Sister and I to a concert.

Following my children's lead can take me some pretty fun places!

Click here to go to the landing page for this project and see the host projects.

Have your own Buble Wrap idea or experience? Link up! 

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