Homemade Toys

There are so many things to do during summer vacation and yet, some days it can be hard to think of anything to do. With just a few objects from around the house, you can make your own toys. Figuring out how these toys work can even let you use some of the science you have learned.

Make a parachute toy. If you don't have all the materials, can you make a simpler version? How does a parachute work?

Make a hovercraft from a balloon, an old CD (either music or an old program disk - be sure to check with an adult first) and a cap from a waterbottle or detergent bottle. What makes this toy work?

Make a paper copter. Change the dimensions and see if you can make it stay in the air longer.

Make a pinwheel. How does it work? Can you make one that spins the other direction?

Make a kite from paper and string. What makes a kite fly? 

Make a tin can telephone. How does the sound get from one person to the other?

Can you make a buzz toy from a two hole button and some string? (Scroll down the linked page for a picture and directions.) How is the noise made? 

Make a model of a birch bark canoe from heavy paper. Does it float? Can you make a better one that doesn't get wet as quickly?

Make a Cartesian diver. How does this work?

Be sure to check the other seasons (see left navigation) because many of the pages can be done any time of the year.
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