Thrilling Thursdays: July 21 - Buildings & Sounds

Have you ever build your own skyscraper? ...out of toothpicks?  Can you make a speed boat with a recycled bottle, a few plastic spoons and a rubber band? The incredible world of engineering! Dream it and design it! Engineering is a broad field that designs, tests, calculates and problem-solves so many of the things we use every day.

Our exciting experiments and activities will explore Structural and Mechanical Engineering. Structural engineering works with structures such as buildings, bridges and all those man-build objects that are designed to withstand all the wild that nature can throw at them. We'll be building bridges and towers, then test our structures for weight endurance. Whose bridge can hold the most cars?

Mechanical Engineering focuses on machines and mechanisms and can include engines, cars and more.  Whose hovercraft can float in thin air for the longest time? How far can your "eagle" glide? All the time we will be learning how the laws of physics can demonstrate God's great love for his children.

The wonderful power of sound! Did you know that each of the patterns in the picture above were made by the vibrations caused by a single tone or note?  The world is full of surprising sounds. Einstein's theory of spacetime says that all of space and time are full of a cacophony of music, we just haven't hear those sounds yet!

Our exploration of sound will include hands-on play with homemade xylophones,  pan flutes, drums, trumpets and more. We'll also experiment with the less tangible properties of sound by displaying the effects of musical notes and vibrations on simple objects. 

Join us for an incredible day exploring physics and engineering, and discovering the care and creativity of God in creation and in each of you as his child.