Alpha science classroom：DIY ears to explore the sound mystery

Alpha science classroom knows children are sensitive to the sound. The reason why human beings can hear sound is that our ears help us collect different sounds around us. Do you know why the animals’ ears are different from yours? If your ears are in different shapes, what does it affect your life? Alpha science classroom will DIY different sizes of ears with you and find out the answer through this simple sound science experiment activity.

Alpha science classroom: What you need to have

8.Scissors

9.Tape

10.White glue

11.Stapler and staple

12.Colored paper

13.Straw

14. Pictures printed with animal ears

Alpha science classroom reminds you that before doing your own ears, you can find some fashionable and novel ears online or beautiful ears of an elf. If you need creativity or inspiration, please refer to animal ears. When you do these new ears, please pay attention not to cover the opening of your own ears as you need to collect the sound not block it.

Alpha science classroom: Activity Steps

Step 1: The kids can choose their favorite animals to do the ears, such as a cat’s ears. Choose your favorite colored paper to fold it per a cat’s ear. Staple the connecting part of the paper together and then cover the staple with the tape. It can protect your ears when you wear it. Last glue the ear bottom and tape it again. Note: Not use too much white glue.

Step 2: Repeat step 1 to make two ears in the same size so that you can ensure the sound you get is the same during the activity.

Step 3: Place your made ears aside and wait the white glue is solidified so that your own ears cannot be stained with glue. At last, wear your new ears and listen to the sound around you carefully. Do you find the sound is more clear? The indistinct sound now becomes clear, so is the bird’s sound in your garden.

Alpha science classroom: Notices

The children can listen to more sounds in nature outdoors. Let’s do this interesting activity to explore more sound mystery.

Compare the sound you heard between your own ears and your new ears. What is different? What can you hear when you wear horse ears? How about hound ears? Change these ears with your friends to know how different ears to collect the sound. What are the advantages and disadvantages if change the ear shapes? If you wear two different shapes ears, is the sound you hear different? Look at the animals pictures. Now you may know why the animal ears are different.

Alpha science classroom: Scientific Principle

Children will find that in this children's sound science experiment, the best ear to hear the sound is funnel-shaped. It has a large pinna or external earlobe. The human pinna looks like a funnel, as do most animals. It can collect sound and pass it to the inner ear, so our brain can test and analyze the sound we hear. Ears can tell us the way of life of animals. Some animals (such as dogs, elephants, and whales) will hear frequencies that are too high or too low for us to hear. For some owls, one ear is positioned slightly higher than the other ear. In this way, they can determine the position of their prey while flying. Animals with large ears (such as rabbits and foxes) have good hearing or listen far. Large ears not only help animals find their prey and avoid being prey but also release heat through excess surfaces. For animals that do not sweat like humans, their large blood vessels close to the skin will radiate excess body heat. In fact, since African elephants have larger ears than Indian elephants, the shape of the ears can distinguish African elephants from Indian elephants. Now, do you understand? Let's do more ears by ourselves.

Alpha Science Toys tells us that there are many interesting children's toy sets. If you want to learn more about sound science, please visit Alpha Science Toys to find magical sound toys to explore their mysteries.