Station 1: Tablecloth Trick
Place the paper plate, bowl and water bottle on the tablecloth. Quickly
remove the tablecloth from beneath the place setting with disturbing or
moving the placement of the paper plate, bowl, and water bottle. You
may only touch the tablecloth. Now try it without the paper plate.
Make sure to set the tablecloth and items up for the next group.
Station 2: Balloon & Penny
1. Grip the balloon at the stem end as you would a bowling ball. The neck
of the balloon will be in your palm and your fingers and thumb will
extend down the sides of the balloon.
2. While holding the balloon palm down, swirl it in a circular motion. The
penny may bounce around at first, but it will soon begin to roll around
the inside of the balloon. The best orbit or path for the coin is one
parallel to the floor.
3. Once the coin begins spinning, use your other hand to stabilize the
balloon and stop spinning your hand.
4. Once you get the penny spinning in the balloon, count using and see
how many seconds the penny will spin.
Station 3: Coin Catch
1. Hold your right hand next to your right ear with the palm facing up.
2. Place one penny on your elbow.
3. Quickly straighten your arm and try to catch the penny with the SAME
HAND.
4. Repeat this but try stacking a couple pennies.
Station 4: Cup & coin
1. Place the notecard on top of the plastic cup on a flat surface. Make
sure there is enough space to give one edge of the notecard a good
flick without hitting your finger on the cup.
2. Place a single coin on top of the card so that it rests over the cup’s
opening.
3. Flick an exposed edge of the notecard. Don’t flick the card from
underneath. Flick directly from the side of the card’s edge.
4. Try with each coin which was the easiest and which was the hardest.
Station 5: Super Stack
1. Stack 4 pennies one on top of the other so that you form a tower.
2. Place the stack of pennies on a smooth, slick surface.
3. Aim one penny at the bottom of the stack of your 4 pennies. Give it a
good hard flick with your finger.
4. Try stacking 5 or 6 pennies.
5. Try a stack of two pennies and flick them into a stack of 4 pennies.
6. Try different combinations of coins.
Station 6: Tricky Tricks
1. Stand the clothespin on its 2 feet.
2. Place a circle with string attached to it on top of the clothespin.
3. Place a nickel on top of the circle.
4. Pull on the string- trying to keep the nickel on the top of clothespin.
Keep trying until you are able to do it.
5. Try experiment again but use a dime
6. Try experiment again but use a circle without string.
7. Balance a penny on a circle (string or no string) on the tip of your
finger. Try to remove the circle but leave the penny balanced on your
finger.
Station 7: Wacky Washers
1. Stack 4 washers one on top of the other so that you form a tower of
washers.
2. Place the stack on top of a smooth flat surface.
3. Aim one washer at the bottom of the stack of 4 washers and give it a
good hard flick with your finger. What happens?
4. Flick a stack of 2 washers into a stack of 4 washers.
5. Flick a stack of 3 washers into a stack of 3 washers.
6. Try using the lighter washers as well.
Station 8: Penny Death Drop
1. Vertically balance the paper hoop on top of the larger cup.
2. Place a coin on top of the hoop, over the center of the jar.
3. Place the stick though the center of the hoop and very quickly fling
the hoop off to the side. Trying to make the coin land in the cup.
4. Try using different coins.
5. Now try the smaller cup.
Station 9: Bowling Inertia
1. Roll the bowling ball SLOWLY towards the pins. Observe what happens.
2. Now slowly ROLL one pin at the bowling ball.
3. Explain why the pin loses either way.
Station 10: Penny Touchdown
1. Place a penny near one end of the table. Opposite of the tape.
2. Use your finger to propel the penny toward the other end of the lab
table trying to get it to stop exactly at the edge of lab table.