Exploratorium Digital Library exploratorium logo
Bee Hummer Afterschool Activity
format:PDF File
file size: 198 kb
length:n/a
type: Activity, Article/Text
source:(c) Exploratorium

In this activity, you'll make a "bee hummer"--a toy that sounds like a swarm of buzzing bees when you spin it around.

When you spin the hummer, moving air causes the rubber band to vibrate. Sound is produced by those vibrations, in the same way that vibrating strings on a guitar or violin produce sound. The sound is amplified--made louder--by the index card.

topics

grade level
3-5
6-8

teaching tips
  • You can modify your materials by using clay or play dough instead of erasers, using different string or rubber bands, or using different sizes and shapes of cards.
  • You can decorate your hummer by drawing wings on the card, or cutting the card into the shape of wings.
National Science Digital Library