PULSE: a STOMP Odyssey - Big Movie Zone

Sounds like Fun
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Activity 5: Building a Bullroarer
1. Staple an index card to a popsicle stick (see diagram).
2. Slide an eraser head on to each end of the popsicle stick. If the eraser
heads are loose, use a drop of glue in each eraser to fasten it to the stick.
3. Slide a rubber band lengthwise over the eraser ends of the stick.
4. Tie a string to one end of the stick just below the eraser. Leave about a foot
of string to hold on to.
5. Try cutting the index cards into different shapes before stapling them to the
popsicle stick: a circle, a triangle, a square, etc.
POPSICLE
STICK
INDEX CARD
STAPLES
ERASER
On safety: Make sure there is enough room to safely swing the bullroarer.
ERASER
Questions
1. What does the bullroarer sound like?
2. Why does it make that sound?
3. Does spinning the bullroarer faster or slower change the sound? Why or why not?
4. What happens when you change the shape of the index card? Does it change the sound of the bullroarer?
5. Can you think of other instruments that make a sound when they spin? Can you think of any machines?
KEYNOTES
Many animals, including humans, use sound as a form of communication. Think of some familiar animal sounds.
• What are they trying to communicate?
• Do some animal sounds seem like music to you?
• What sounds do we make to communicate these same messages?
• Are there ways that humans use sounds that animals do not?
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