Grade 6 (Lesson 4d/2015/2016) : Wild Child (New York, New York)

Sounds like Fun

Objective
Students apply the principles of sound by making a bullroarer.

Materials
Popsicle sticks, hollow eraser heads, rubber bands, index cards, string, stapler, glue.

Procedure

1. Staple an index card to a popsicle stick (see diagram). 
2. Slide an eraser head on to each end of the popsicle stick. 
3. Slide a rubber band lengthwise over the eraser ends of the stick. 
4. Tie a string to one end of the stick just below the eraser.
5.  Leave about a foot of string to hold on to. 
6. Make sure you have enough room to swing the bullroarer over head in a circular motion.

On safety: Make sure there is enough room to safely swing the bullroarer.    

Back in the United States, we see Wild Child using two instruments that make sounds when they are spun through the air: the Bullroarer and the Whirly Tube.

It is believed that the bullroarer was first used by the Aboriginal people of Australia. When swung around in the air on a piece of string it sets up sound waves, thus producing a whirring or howling sound. The bullroarer is used in hunting and in traditional ceremonies as a form of blessing. Bullroarers are also used to send animals into ambush, to alert one tribe of another’s presence, in rainmaking ceremonies, and for healing (see “The Rhythm of Healing” on this page).

This type of instrument has been used all over the world, including the Maori people of New Zealand, in New Guinea, and in various North American Native cultures.

The Rhythm of Healing

The Maori people of New Zealand use a smaller version of the Bullroarer (known as the ‘Porotiti’) for healing rheumatism and arthritis. By spinning the Porotiti over the afflicted areas, the sound vibrations massage the joints of the “patient” in a similar way to modern ultrasound. 

Grade 6 (Lesson 4c/2015/2016) : Wild Child and Stomp (Los Angeles, California)

The Science of Sound

In the scene where Wild Child and Fraser are riding their bikes, we hear the sounds of bells ringing and cards flapping against spokes. When Wild Child rides off the end of the pier into the water, the medium through which the sounds are traveling changes from air to water.

In this section we will explore how sound is generated, how it travels through a medium like air or water, and how it is received by the amazing apparatus we studied in the last section, the ear. 

Objective

Students learn how sound is generated and received, as well as why sound is so important for communication.

Materials

• A music element (or some other sound generating device) 
• A drinking glass

Procedure

1. Ask your students to take turns reading the Science of Sound description. 

• Ask them to sit quietly and listen to any sounds that they can hear, both inside and outside the school. 
• Ask them to make a list of sounds they hear, with an arrow pointing in the direction from which they think the sound is coming. 
• After five or ten minutes, make a list on the blackboard of the sounds that the students heard, and where they came from. 

      2.  Wind up the music element and hold it in the palm of your hand as it plays. Can any of             your students hear it?

• Now place it on a desk and let it play. Now can they hear it?
• Try different surfaces and materials, such as a drinking glass or a plastic cup. 

Further study Underwater acoustics

• How is our hearing different underwater?
• Do fish have “ears” and how do they “hear” underwater?