CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW…?

Materials Needed:                   2    8 oz cups for each student                           scissors
Sounds from a vibrating object travels in all directions. The outer ears of animals and people “gather” sound waves and funnel them into the ear. Large ears collect sound better than small ones.  
Experiment:
1. Have all students face in the same direction. Then have someone behind them whisper the words "Raise your hand if you can hear me." (Few hands will go up.) Next, have students hold up hands in front of them, palms facing them; then have them position their hands in front of their ears so their palms are facing behind them. Their cupped hands will collect sound coming from behind them. Have the whisperer repeat the phrase, "Raise your hand if you can hear me." A lot more hands should go up because the students' cupped hands collect more of the sound coming from behind them.
2. Make "super ears" by cutting holes in the bottom of the paper cups as shown in the diagram. Leave a small piece of the bottom of the cup so it will hook behind the ear. Each student should put a cup over each ear. They now have "super ears." Have the children listen quietly and see what sounds they now hear that they didn't hear before.

HEY MAN, I CAN’T HEAR YOU

Huh? Can you speak up? Oh! You want to know if loud music can hurt your ears. Are you asking because you like to put on your headphones and crank up the volume of your favorite CD? Maybe your mom or dad has told you, "Turn that down before you go deaf!" Well, they have a point. Loud noise (from music or other sources such as machinery or jet engines) can cause both temporary and permanent hearing loss.

If the noise around you is so loud that you have to shout to be heard, there is a chance that the mechanism inside your ear can be injured. Temporary hearing loss can happen after you've been exposed to loud noise for any duration. If you have temporary hearing loss, you won't be able to hear as well as you normally do for a while.  Hearing  loss can occur at 85 decibels.

Listening to loud music a lot can cause the same kind of damage, especially if headphones are used. Some famous musicians have suffered hearing loss and developed tinnitus — a real problem for someone who needs to hear to make and enjoy music. That's why now you might notice that some of your favorite musicians wear hearing protection while they're playing.

Amplified rock music is in the range of 110-130 db, which is over 128 -152
times too loud and can definitely cause hearing damage.  Now plug all that directly into your ear canal with your iPod blaring all day.  Once your ears are damaged there is no going back.  So consider a few “unplugged” days a week for your ears sake.

DO YOU HEAR  WHAT I HEAR?

Activity:
When  we are unable to see what we hear, it makes it a little more difficult.  Being able to see and hear at the same time gives our brain reference to what we are actually hearing.  When we do not SEE what we are wanting to HEAR, we must depend even more on our sense of hearing.  Do you hear what I hear, or do you hear something different?
Materials Needed:
Equal amounts in an Easter egg  of:  rice, coffee beans, sugar, sand, corn, pennies, one rubber ball, Styrofoam pieces, beans, rubber bands, staples, paper clips, etc.

Put Easter eggs containing single items, available for reference listening, may be made up and labeled ahead of time.

Experiment:
Children, in pairs or teams, make up and seal small shaker cans containing a combination of two of the possible contents, number each can and keep a record of its contents.  Of course the object of the exercise is that each child or team will estimate the contents of each other labeled can and enter the estimate on a large chart. Keep the chart and cans around for a while .... children will want to check and recheck their ideas. This challenge of this activity may be increased by asking not only WHAT'S in it but also HOW MUCH.

RED ROVER  RED ROVER CAN SIGNALS  COME OVER

Have you ever wondered why animals sense of hearing is so much keener than humans?  Research has shown that the large ears of animals, the ability of animals to turn their ears toward sounds, and the way that the ears funnel sound are all reasons that animals hear better than humans.
Materials:
Card stock          ear pattern          scissors         markers          tape

Experiment:
Trace ear pattern on the card stock and cut out 2 ears.  Tape a piece of paper that is cut from another piece of card stock about 2” wide and long enough to reach around your head to connect both ears together. Place headband on forehead and align your ears over your own ears.   Cup the ears around your ears and move them in different directions to pick up sounds.  Do you hear better?   Why?


EAR  PATTERN

BALLOON SPEAKERS

Balloon to Amplify Sound
Small sounds can still make a big noise when you use a good sound conductor. Experiment with a balloon, compressed air and your own ears to find out how it works and the science behind it.

What you'll need:
•    Balloon

Instructions:
1.    Blow up the balloon.
2.    Hold the balloon close to your ear while you tap lightly on the other side.

What's happening?
Despite you only tapping lightly on the balloon your ears can hear the noise loudly. When you blew up the balloon you forced the air molecules inside the balloon closer to each other. Because the air molecules inside the balloon are closer together, they become a better conductor of sound waves than the ordinary air around you.
Small sounds can still make a big noise when you use a good sound conductor. Experiment with a balloon, compressed air and your own ears to find out how it works and the science behind it.          

ANATOMY OF THE EAR

Outer ear: The visible external ear is called the pinna or auricle. This is the part of the ear that humans sometimes ornament with jewelry.
The outer ear also contains the ear canal and the ear drum (tympanic membrane).
The middle ear: is the area behind the ear drum. This part of the ear is made of three movable bones called ossicles. The function of these three bones is to convert the sound wave (by striking the eardrum) into mechanical vibrations. These three bones are absolutely tiny and are the smallest bones in the body!
The hammer (Malleaus) – joins the inside of the eardrum.
The anvil (Incus) – connects to the hammer and the stirrup.
The stirrup (Staples) – fills the oval window (membrane covered outlets) which leads to the inner ear.
The inner ear
Cochlea – is a snail-shell like structure divided into three fluid-filled parts.
Cilia – Microscopic hair-like structures.
Eustachian Tube – This tube equalizes air pressure. It also connects the middle ear to the throat and this is where most ear infections happen. This tube is normally collapsed but it opens up when we are swallowing food or with any pressure, such as taking off in an airplane, giving the sensation of popping.

How do we hear?
The outer part of the ear collects sound waves. Humans can hear sound waves with frequencies between 20 and 20,000 Hz. That sound pressure is amplified through the middle portion of the ear.
In simple language these sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate. The three middle ear bones (Malleaus, Incus, Staples or easier to remember Hammer, Anvil and Stirrup) pass these vibrations on to the cochlea. The cochlea is a snail-shaped, fluid-filled structure in the inner ear. Inside the cochlea is another structure called the organ of corti. Cilia are very tiny hair cells which are located in the corti. These cilia (microscopic hair cells) bend over from the vibrations (sound waves) passing a nerve impulse to the auditory nerve. These impulses are then sent to the brain and this is how we hear sounds.

Why do we get dizzy when we spin around?
When you spin around too fast, fluid in the circular canals (cochlea) moves around the ear. This stimulates the hair cells. When you stop spinning the fluid still moves. Because the moving fluid is still stimulating the hair cells your brain gets a message that you are still moving and so you feel dizzy.

Why are ears so important to us?
The ability to hear and balance is very important to all living creatures. For humans hearing is also an important part of learning speech and language so we can communicate with each other. So, we must protect our hearing.
Exposure to loud noise, whether instant or prolonged, can cause damage to these hair cells as they become brittle and don’t bounce back into shape. When this happens we get a constant hum in our ears called Tinnitus. Some cases of tinnitus are caused by too much ear wax or infection but mostly it is caused by loud music or noise. This is why we must be careful not to expose ourselves to too much loud noise as excessive noise is still the number one reason for hearing loss. Sound loudness is measured in decibels (dB). A whisper is 30 db but a Lawn mower is 95 (dB). Prolonged exposure to anything over 80 dB can cause hearing damage. So turn down those MP3 players kids!
Interesting Facts
•    The staples is the smallest bone in the whole body! It is only 0.25 to 0.33 cm long and only weighs 1.9 to 4.3 milligrams.
•    200,000 people in the United States are deaf; 3 million people in the US have serious hearing problems.
•    Fish do not have ears, but they can hear. They hear pressure changes through ridges on their bodies.
•    Crickets have their hearing organs in their knees!

I AM ALL EARS !

LISTENING GAMES

"Marco Polo" is a classic playground or swimming pool game that is also an exercise in listening and sound localization. One child is "it" and must close his eyes or be blindfolded and locate other players by using a call and response. "It" calls out "Marco" and all of the other players call out "Polo." The child who is "it" must focus on and locate the source of a response, find that source and tag the other player. The child who is tagged then becomes "it.

“The Telephone Game" is another fun activity to teach the importance of critical listening. Children sit in a circle and one student is given a short sentence to pass along the line. The first player whispers the sentence into the ear of the child next to him or her and the second child must whisper the sentence into the ear of the next child, and so on, until the phrase makes its way all the way around the circle. When the last student hears the phrase, he or she relates the sentence. The result is almost always a sentence that bears little resemblance to the original, showing the importance of active listening.

“Moving Ears” This experiment explores the benefit of having two ears for locating the source of a sound. Mark the floor in a straight line in 5-foot increments. Have a blindfolded listener stand on the first mark of the series while another child says the listener's name while standing on various other marks. The listener must guess on which mark the speaking child is standing. Repeat the experiment with the listener covering one ear and then using two ears. The outcome shows that using two ears to locate sound distance is far easier than using one.

“Sound Effects” This experiment is a favorite of children because it allows them to make lots of noise. Have one child be the listener and stand with their back to the rest of the class. One by one, the rest of the children make a specific noise -- jingling change, writing on the board, closing a book, clapping hands, snapping fingers, etc. -- and the listening student tries to identify the noise that they have hear

DID  I  HEAR THAT ?

Jiggling coins, clinking glasses, clapping hands...think you know what these sound like? Test the ability of people to identify several sounds with this game. Students should close their eyes or turn away from the "sound maker". Make each sound and see if students know tell you what it is. Example sounds:

Shake pennies or other coin

Clap hands
Clap chalkboard eraser
Tap a pencil or pen on a desk
Close a book
Crumple up paper or foil
Stomp on the floor
Tear some paper
Close a stapler
Bounce a ball

I am sure that you can think of more sounds to make. You could also have students take turns making sounds and asking the other students to guess the noise.

Let's make some NOISE!  Explore the sense of sound with these easy-to-make sound shakers (noise makers). Find some plastic film containers, plastic yogurt or cottage cheese cups, or other plastic juice bottles. Make sure that the containers have covers for the tops. Fill the containers 1/2 or 1/4 full with dry seeds, uncooked beans or rice, pebbles or sand. Seal the top of the container with glue or tape (you don't want the seeds, beans, rice, etc. all over the floor). Decorate the container with glue and magazine cutouts, stickers or colored paper, then shake, shake, shake.  Compare the sounds made by the different materials.

You could also play a guessing game with your sound shakers: have people guess what is inside of your sound shaker just by listening to the noise your shaker makes.

Materials:
•    Plastic containers: film canisters, yogurt cups, plastic bottles
•    Glue or tape to seal the top of the containers and to attach decorations.
•    Fillings: dry seeds, uncooked beans or rice, sand, pebbles, coins, marbles, rocks
•    Decorations: stickers, colored papers, cutouts from magazines
It is surprising all the noises that you can hear in the classroom even when everyone is quiet. Well, what are they? Write down everything you can hear when everyone is trying to be quiet.  Can you hear the clock?  Wind?  Talking? Breathing?  Cars?  Airplanes?  Footsteps?  See what interesting noises everyone can hear.

SPEAK TO THE HAND

I  MARCH  TO  MY  OWN DRUMMER

Make your own eardrum:  This experiment will show how the eardrum works inside the inner ear.  It shows the effects of noise on the delicate membrane that forms the eardrum.

Materials:
Plastic cup
Plastic tray
Small piece of thin rubber or a piece of balloon
Rubber band
A noisemaker
A pinch of salt or sand
A piece of paper

Experiment:
Stretch the sheet of thin rubber over the edges of the plastic cup and secure with a rubber band. Now pull the edges of the thin rubber square so that if fits as tightly as possible.  Place a pinch of salt or sand or tiny bits of paper on the model eardrum and us a noisemaker close to, but not on, the surface of the model.  What happens to the salt, sand, or bits of paper on the model?  What do you think is causing the model eardrum to vibrate?
Now place the noisemaker closer to the model eardrum.  What did you notice?  What did you notice when the noisemaker was farther away?

A PENNY SAVED IS A PENNY HEARD

Pennies from heaven:

Here is another way to test your hearing acuity. Collect 10 or more U.S. pennies - the more pennies you collect, the better the "sample". Recently, I noticed that the U.S. government changed the metals that it uses to make a penny. Pennies are not 100% copper. For one thing, newer pennies look different - they are more shiny. To me, new pennies also SOUND different. Try to figure out WHEN they changed the formula of the penny. Take your collection of pennies and drop them, one at a time, on a hard surface...a table or floor will work. Newer pennies have a "tinny," "dull" sound. Older pennies have a more "full," "ringing" sound. Keep track of the pennies that you think are old and which ones are new. When did they make the switch to the new penny formula? My guess, based on my perceptions of the penny sounds, is that 1982 was the last year that they made pennies with the old metal formula. From 1983 on, I think they made pennies out of copper-plated zinc.  
Materials:  pennies, the more the better;  Both pre and post 1981
What are your results?

TALKING TUBES

Objective
Student can say that sound travels.

Materials
Paper-towel tub

es; a ticking clock or timer; plastic tubing six feet to eight feet in length (available at hardware or pet stores); two funnels; masking tape

Procedures
1.    Place a ticking clock or timer on one end of a wooden table. Place one opening of a cardboard tube on the other end of the table. The students take turns holding an ear to the other end of the tube to hear the ticking coming through the tube.
2.    Attach a funnel to each end of the plastic tubing, using masking tape. Partners stand six to eight feet apart while one whispers a message to her/his partner too quietly for the partner to hear. The first child then whispers the message into one of the funnels while the second child listens through the other. The partners take turns listening and whispering.

Getting the Idea
Explain to students that the ear is something like a tube with a funnel. Sound comes in through the outer part of the ear - which is like the funnel - and travels through a tube called the auditory canal.

Ask the students to list every object that was vibrating to make the sound heard. (Such as the clock, when it ticked, vibrated, and because it was sitting on the table made the wood vibrate; the sound traveled through the wood and through the air in the cardboard tube to the person's ear.) When the students whispered without the aid of the funnel, the sound was not loud enough to be heard from that distance, but it did cause vibrations, otherwise you could not have heard whispering. The sound waves also traveled through the air and though the funnel.

I FEEL THE SOUNDS

Materials
Different-size bottles; same-size bottles; water; wooden spoon or stick; seven-eight glasses that are the same shape and size.
Procedures
The teacher demonstrates that the vibration of air in a container causes sound.
1.    Fill bottles of different sizes and bottles of the same size with the same and with different amounts of water.
2.    Students predict what will happen if they blow across the tops of the bottles. The students then go ahead and blow on the bottles, trying to see if there is a pattern among the different sounds the bottles make.
3.    The students try to sequence the sounds from lowest to highest.
4.    If the students are interested, they can make a water marimba. Fill several same-size drinking glasses with water at different levels and strike lightly with a wooden spoon or stick.
5.    Students discuss high and low tones in relation to the amount of water in the identical containers.
Getting the Idea
1.    What was vibrating that was causing the bottles to make different sounds? (The air inside the bottle.)
2.    Did all the bottles have the same amount of air in them? (No, the ones that had a lot of water had only a little bit of air at the top.)
3.    When you were hitting the glasses in the water marimba, what was vibrating? (The glasses and the air were vibrating. That is why all the glasses have to be the same shape and height, otherwise the sounds would be different.)