Mystery Toy
Note: Do the pendulum experiment first, and when you’re done with the heavy nut from that activity, just use it in this experiment.
You can easily create one of these mystery toys out of an old baking powder can, a heavy rock, two paper clips, and a rubber band (at least 3″ x 1/4″). It will keep small kids and cats busy for hours.
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I used a rock from my backyard and I cut two rubber bands and I put glue to keep it there and it was hard to put the paper clip through the hole :/ I am still making it…
My kids enjoyed this experiment, however we may need to put a larger Hex Nut in the can since it keeps rolling if you push too hard. We are having a Blast!
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Yes – it’s a much larger mass to move. Try rocks? In a baggie perhaps?
Will this work with a large oatmeal container. If so, do I need to increase the size of the hex nut?
Wow – cool! Sounds like you figured something worthwhile out!!
Good job persisting until you got the result you were after. That’s a key quality in a scientist.
We tried and tried and tried to get this to work. We changed the number of rubberbands, we tried making it without the knot, and finally tried a very large and heavy hexnut. NOW it works! Before it would just roll in one direction and not come back (it was a lobsided roll…it would roll, hesitate, roll, hesitate). Weight seems to make the difference. It will stop on its own and then roll backwards.
Thanks, Aurora!
If you roll it and do not stop it with your hand after it comes back to you, will it keep on rolling and coming back, rolling and coming back on and on? Thank you! I am DeFiNaTeLy making this!
Wow! Just as good as “Plasma Grape” and “Microwaving Soap.”! If you roll it to hard and it goes to far……it won’t come back to you. I know why it comes back! The rubber band gets wound up inside and then comes back. (I hope that’s a simple and quick explanation:)) Aurora, what do you think?
sevy keble