Most educators recognize how effective use of hands-on experiences enhances student learning. Teaching students using snack ideas is not limited to explaining or showing a concept, but rather is enhanced by totally experiencing the science. Square Wheels is filled with terrific student-friendly, teacher-friendly, standards-based activities. Since modeling ideas is a great teaching technique, I will share how I use the snack, Membrane Aerophone, with my middle school students. This snack is a great example of how hands-on approaches make abstract ideas come alive.

What is the Membrane Aerophone? It is a wonderful way to help students "see and hear" how different wavelengths produce different sounds. A "saxophone-type instrument" is made using very inexpensive materials. By constructing the musical instrument, the students first build and then play a pipe instrument which demonstrates how the different wavelengths relate to the sounds heard. The impact of creating the sounds while covering the various holes in the musical tube relates directly to high pitch with high frequencies and low pitch with low frequencies.

Once constructed, students are directed to leave their instruments in the classroom for a period of one week during which they are used to explore the concepts of wavelengths, frequencies, and pitch.Once the explorations are completed in class, students take their musical designs home. A helpful suggestion here is to remind the students that the teachers in their other classes may not be as open to their musical prowess and that playing the instruments in other classes is not a good idea.

Is it possible to collect enough materials to have 180 + students create the aerophone? The answer is yes, and with careful planning, it can be easier than you think. PVC pipe is relatively inexpensive and film canisters are available at your local camera shops. Balloons can be found at either surplus materials outlets like Raft, or your local bulk items stores like Smart & Final.

Assembly of the Membrane Aerophones, or any other snack, is fairly effortless with parental help. Before I have students investigate science through snacks, I communicate to parents a wish list of materials needed for the year. At our Back-to-School Night in September I advertise different needs for future science projects.

I reiterate those needs in a follow-up letter to the parents. At the bottom of the letter the parents who can help can respond with their name and phone number. In addition to donating items, parents can help prepare materials in many ways, such as drilling, cutting and sanding. Having several parents help with such work makes such a large project much easier to accomplish.

Some of the snacks in Square Wheels are more complicated than the aerophone and some are easier. The variety of science topics covered and the details given in the sections titled "What To Do" and "What Is Going On" are helpful for both teachers and students. What a resource, what a fabulous way to help teachers and students learn the wonders of the world using simple materials to create eye-opening, mind-bending examples of solid science concepts.

I feel fortunate to own one of the original snackbooks and in hindsight wish I would have stocked up with several of them to use as classroom references as well as gifts for fellow teachers. I urge educators and parents to pick up a copy of the newest snack book, Square Wheels, on your next visit to the Exploratorium or order a copy online through the Exploratorium gift shop. Either way, you will be happy you did, and your children will be, too.

Sue Pritchard, Ph.D.

Middle School Science Teacher

CSTA (California Science Teachers Association) Middle School/Jr. High School Director

Secretary of LHEA (La Habra Education Association) chapter of CTA (California Teachers Association)

PDK (Phi Delta Kappa) Research Representative

Online Instructor for University of San Diego

Part-time Instructor for California State University at Fullerton

Reviewed by Kenneth King

Assistant Professor

Square Wheels and Other Easy-to-Build Hands-On Science Activities offers a wide variety of physical science experiences that seem to defy common sense. They intrigue the user and provide a great way to learn key concepts in physical science. Calling the series "science snacks" does not convey the high nutritional value of the experiences contained in this book.

Square Wheels is directed toward middle school teachers and students, but high school teachers will also find the activities suitable for demonstrating physical science principles in engaging ways. The language is appropriate for independent reading by most middle school students, who will understand the explanations associated with each of the activities. The instructions are quite clear and readable, and feature interesting extensions. Middle elementary teachers could also use the book as a source of demonstrations.

The book’s organization makes it easy to use. The materials for the activities are safe and readily available—pop bottles, film containers, rubber bands, and magnets. Most of the activities could be reasonably carried out in a kitchen or workshop as well as a science classroom. Hand tools are necessary to construct some of the projects and few highly specialized items are needed. The most exotic of these are prisms and small transistor radios.

For the teacher, this book offers a set of new classroom activities that not only intrigue and astound the student, but also have well-developed explanations. The activities are direct and engaging, posing interesting questions for students to consider as they carry out the activity. I was intrigued enough to put the book down and try a number of activities before finishing the book. In each case, I was able to complete the task without having to "read between the lines" to make it work. Rarely do I take to a handbook of science activities like I did to this one; it is destined to find a home in my science methods course.

Review posted 2/5/2002