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 The lab was led by 4-H educators Carissa Apkore and Amy Hyde with
4-H member/helper Katlyn Helton. Apkore opened up the day talking to
the kids about the use of science and technology in their everyday
lives. She went around the room asking each child to say what they
most enjoyed about science. The answers varied widely and included
everything from “doing experiments” to building things and playing
video game sports.
Katlyn shared that her favorite part of Science is biology and that
she intends to use that in her career because she plans to be a
doctor.
Hyde talked about the everyday use of science, explaining that some
of the daily tasks we do, such as cooking are a type of chemistry
that involves measuring and mixing and finding the right combination
of ingredients to make something tasty.
Apkore said her favorite part of science is getting messy. She said
when we do experiments, we get messy and sometimes our experiments
work and sometimes they don’t, but it is fun to figure it all out.
The leaders also shared that in science, most of the time there are
no wrong answers, it is simply a matter of experimenting until you
find out what works.
 That led to the first exercise the kids would do for the afternoon.
The leaders provided each kid with a LED light with two wires
attached, a battery power pack, also with two wires, and two balls
of Play-Doh. Apkore told the kids that they would experiment with
putting all these items together in a way that would make the LED
bulb light up. She explained this was called a “simple circuit,” and
explained how circuitry worked to generate the electricity needed to
light the bulb.
The kids worked for a while, trial and error style until each one
found the right combination to get the bulb to glow. They learned
that they could put a wire from the bulb and the battery pack into
the balls of Play-doh and generate the electric current they needed.
They also learned that to prevent the current from shorting-out, the
two balls of Play-Doh could not touch.
Next, the kids were given a buzzer with two wires and asked to
incorporate it into the circuit. The result was that when the buzzer
was added, and the power pack turned on, the buzzer would sound
while the little bulb glowed.
Moving on, the kids were told that they would now incorporate what
they had learned to create a drawing robot that they would be able
to take home with them. Each child was given a large disposable cup;
three felt tip markers, an electric motor with a rotor on it, and
half a glue stick.
With the cup turned upside down the kids discussed how that the
motor would be the robot's “brain” and logic told them that the
brain should probably be on what was now the top of the cup. The
glue stick was to act as a propeller that would cause a vibration of
the cut when the motor was turned on. The kids reasoned that to do
this, the motor would need to be mounted in such a manner as to
allow the propeller to move freely. They also realized that the glue
stick would have to be stuck onto the rotor and that it should be
centered for it to turn smoothly. They then mounted the motor onto
the cup with duct tape. To power the motor they needed a battery.
The kids were given an AA battery that they attached to the side of
the cup. They also had to create the simple circuit. Apkore
explained that to be able to turn the robot on and off, the kids
would want to attach one wire in a fashion where that it would stay
stuck to the battery, but the other wire should be attached in a
manner where it could easily be disconnected from the battery.
 Next, the kids were told that they would create legs for their robot
using the markers. It was to be a three-legged robot, so they would
want to determine where to place the markers so that the robot would
stand up without falling over.
When they were finished, they removed the lids from the markers,
turned on their motors, and set the robot on a piece of paper to see
what would happen. They learned that the position of the motor and
propeller impacted the amount of vibration in the cup, and that
vibration caused the cup to move on its own over the paper. They
also learned that the height of the robot, based on where they had
mounted their markers, impacted the pattern that was made on the
paper.
One child learned that when she mounted her legs, so the robot was
really tall, it quickly “walked” off of the paper and onto the
plastic table covering. Another child mounted her markers in a
fashion that made her robot shorter. The result, the robot made
almost perfect circles in on the paper.
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For the third and fourth experiments, the kids split into two
groups. One group would learn how to use simple circuitry, and a cup
of water to play music on a computer piano. The other group would
experiment with building a holographic projector.
For the musicians, electrodes were connected to several small cups
of water on one end and the laptop computer on the other. A power
pack with an electrode on it was also used. The kids would hold the
power pack electrode in their right hand and place a finger of their
left hand into the cup of water, and the piano would play.
Even more fascinating to the kids, was when they learned that they
could generate the electric current from one person to another with
the result being the same, the musical note would sound, and they
could play a song. To do this, the four stood in a line
side-by-side. The person on the far right held the electrode. The
person to his or her left touched the first persons left arm. Person
number three then touched person number two’s left arm, and person
number four touched person number three’s left arm. Person number
four then placed a finger of his or her left hand into the cup of
water and the music played.
Meanwhile, the second group was learning about projecting light and
images. They were given a piece of clear plastic and instructed to
cut out four trapezoids. Using scotch tape they connected the four,
matching the sides so that they ended up with a three-dimensional
shape that resembled a pyramid with a flat top. To make the
projector work property, the kids had to go into a very dark room.
Hyde used her cell phone to find a video of a minion from the movie
“Despicable Me.” Holding the phone, so the face was toward the
ceiling of the room, the plastic shape was placed small end down
onto the phone face. The result was that the video on the phone was
reflected onto the plastic walls of the shape, and the kids could
watch the video without actually looking at the phone.
When the respective groups had completed these experiments, they
switched so that everyone had the opportunity to play the piano as
well as build the projector.
When they were finished, the kids enjoyed a quick snack, then one
final experiment.
The last experiment was a test of the engineering skills. The kids
were divided into three teams. They were given seven clear plastic
cups, ten large craft sticks, and ten alphabet blocks. The task was
to use all of the materials before them to build a structure. The
first time, they were instructed that they had to use one small
block as the base of their structure, and they had to utilize all
the materials given.
This was a big challenge for the kids, but they were up to it. All
three groups built structures that would stand on only the one
block.
In the last exercise of the day they would use all their materials
in any way they wished with a goal of being the team to build the
tallest structure. Again the kids were up for the challenge and made
some very tall and impressive structures.
Also during the day, Apkore talked to the kids about 4-H explaining
that in the 4-H programs there are opportunities to work on projects
such as these on a regular basis. She gave each kid a sheet that
listed all the 4-H clubs in Logan County and the leaders to contact
to become a member. She said that 4-H was available to kids starting
at age eight. She asked for a show of hands, how many had heard of
4-H and also how many were already in 4-H. Then she asked who was
age eight, nine, 10, and so on, and shared with the kids that every
one of them was within the age requirements to join.
Katlyn also shared her 4-H monthly meetings experiences, the fun
projects she has been involved in with the club as a group, as well
as the great trips they take together, including a recent trip to
St. Louis to the City Museum that everyone enjoyed.
This summer the local 4-H program planned for five Creativity Labs
to be held in various parts of the county. The event in Elkhart on
Wednesday was the fourth lab. The fifth and final lab will be held
on Friday, July 22 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Atlanta Public
Library.
To learn more about 4-H or the Creativity Lab program, contact the
Logan County Extension Office by calling 217-732-8289.
[Nila Smith]
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