small box
tape
small object to place inside box:
tape spool, ball bearings, nuts and bolts, small box,
basically anything small and having a regular shape
paper and pencil to record observations
This experiment is mainly for elementary students but could work for students of every age.
What to do:
1. Place the object into a small box. Make sure the box is
big enough so that the object can roll inside the box.
2. Without telling the person or student what the box contains give them to
box to shake, weigh and try to determine what is in the box without opening
it.
3. Have the student record information and present his finding before he opens
his box.
Conclusion:
Discuss with the students what they have learned. What they
should have gotten from the
experiment is how to observe and draw conclusions about the object in which
they only knew about by shaking the box. This relates to science when in a
lot of times not all information is known about an object and theories about
how it works or what it is made of have to be made. For instance, not much
is known about outer space but scientist make theories based on their observations.
We make small observations every day without even realizing what we are doing.
The student has probably done this experiment before with out knowing. How
many times do you shake a present feeling for the weight and shape. And looking
at the size of the box. They think of what they wanted to get and see if their
observations meet the requirements. This is just a simple experiment but there
is much to be learned.