Free STEM-At-Home Activities Promote Learning And Having Fun

 

Learn to make a flip toy from recycled or very cheap materials as an outcome of a STEM at Home Activity. Flip toys are widely available in Latin America, where they are known by different names in different countries: acrobata (acrobat), trapecista(trapeze artist) and salto de muerte (somersault, literally, jump of death). A flip toy consists of two parallel sticks, held upright, connected by a flexible pivot, and supporting a little figure suspended from a loop of string. When you squeeze the bottoms of the sticks together, the figure does a complete flip. The only materials you need to make one are two rulers, craft sticks or paint sticks, a strip of cardboard or a plastic bottle top, some tape and string, a clothespin and craft supplies. It might not work at first, but that’s where the learning comes in! There are troubleshooting tips showing how to address common problems. Once you’ve made one, you will want to know how it works. The operation of a flip toy involves science concepts of force, motion, lever, fulcrum, tension and gravity. The two wooden sticks are levers, the bottle top or folded cardboard is the common fulcrum for both levers, and squeezing the levers at the bottom makes them separate at the top. This puts the string in tension, which forces the figure to flip up. Releasing the handles allows to figure to drop down by gravity. There are many experiments you can do to understand these principles in greater depth. Can you make one that is smaller or bigger than the first one to see if it works the same way? What will happen if you lift or lower the fulcrum? Add weight to the figure? Use a larger or smaller loop of string? Squeeze the handles in a different place? Of course, a flip toy will not look right when the only figure is a naked clothespin. How can you customize your flip toy to express your interests and personality? This engaging STEM at home activity is not only fun to do but also illustrates key concepts of engineering design and physical science, and provides abundant opportunities for self-expression and artistic creativity.