Sound Learning Group - Week 7

Tuesday November 6, 2012

This week we focused on the location of sound in more detail.  We did so by exploring with tuning forks.  By hitting the tuning fork and placing it in the water, the water splashes because of the vibration.  Some of the children did not notice this effect at first.  Their main focus at the beginning of the activity was to play in the water.  When I showed them the tuning fork in the water they began to try and make noise with the tuning fork in the water either through hitting the tuning forks together underwater or hitting the tuning fork against the bottom of the tub.  The children attempted to mimic the motion of the water.  Some simply splashed the water around, some placed the tuning fork in the table and splashed the water, and others moved the tuning fork around in the water.  When I asked the children to make noise with the tuning fork they hit the tuning forks together or tried to hit it against their leg to make the vibration.  They understood the idea of how to produce noise and that the tuning fork was the one responsible for the water splashing.  However they have yet to make the connection between the vibration of the tuning fork and the splashing of the water.  

 

               

To extend on this idea we plan to explore more with instruments but move to how sound travels.  I plan to create an activity in which we make telephones out of plastic cups to explore with this concept.  The children will make predictions and explain their reasoning about how sound travels.