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View transcript1 00:00:00,166 --> 00:00:02,749 (upbeat music) 2 00:00:35,100 --> 00:00:40,100 - Hi and welcome to Storytime Science at the Exploratorium. 3 00:00:40,190 --> 00:00:45,150 My name is Viv, and this is the Halloween episode, 4 00:00:45,150 --> 00:00:49,940 but it's also the sound and vibration episode. 5 00:00:49,940 --> 00:00:52,470 We're gonna be reading a book, "Skulls" 6 00:00:52,470 --> 00:00:56,740 by Blair Thornburg illustrated by Scott Campbell. 7 00:00:56,740 --> 00:01:01,740 And we're gonna be doing three kind of spooky activities. 8 00:01:02,140 --> 00:01:07,140 We're gonna be doing head harp, the creaking door, 9 00:01:08,450 --> 00:01:11,080 and the haunted rice. 10 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:12,768 So let's get reading. 11 00:01:12,768 --> 00:01:15,087 (upbeat music) 12 00:01:15,087 --> 00:01:17,030 "Skulls". 13 00:01:17,030 --> 00:01:20,453 You probably don't think much about skulls. 14 00:01:21,660 --> 00:01:26,660 But every head of every person you've ever seen 15 00:01:29,050 --> 00:01:31,350 has a skull inside. 16 00:01:31,350 --> 00:01:34,550 And that's a good thing. 17 00:01:34,550 --> 00:01:39,160 Skulls take a while to grow strong and hard, 18 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:43,170 but it's time well spent. 19 00:01:43,170 --> 00:01:48,170 Skulls are safe and snug like a car seat for your brain. 20 00:01:49,420 --> 00:01:53,550 Skulls give your face a good shape. 21 00:01:53,550 --> 00:01:56,673 Skulls let your jaws snap. 22 00:01:57,510 --> 00:02:02,510 Skulls hold your teeth in place until they don't. 23 00:02:04,090 --> 00:02:07,683 Skulls have holes in them. 24 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,450 So, a hole, a hole, eyes. 25 00:02:11,450 --> 00:02:14,210 Hole and the hole, ears. 26 00:02:14,210 --> 00:02:18,470 Hole, nose. Hole, mouth. 27 00:02:18,470 --> 00:02:23,203 For sounds, for light, for air, 28 00:02:25,710 --> 00:02:28,033 for grilled cheese sandwiches. 29 00:02:29,340 --> 00:02:34,340 Skulls don't have noses, but skulls don't really need noses. 30 00:02:35,860 --> 00:02:39,300 They're more of a cartilage thing. 31 00:02:39,300 --> 00:02:44,300 But most of all, skulls are not trying to be scary. 32 00:02:45,730 --> 00:02:48,090 They can't help the way they look. 33 00:02:48,090 --> 00:02:53,090 They just do their job, and no one says thank you. 34 00:02:55,150 --> 00:02:59,903 And some people are even afraid of them. 35 00:03:01,390 --> 00:03:04,720 But not you, not you at all. 36 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,420 You love having a safe place to keep your brain. 37 00:03:09,420 --> 00:03:12,720 You snap your jaws with gusto 38 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,360 and you love having teeth in your mouth 39 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,760 until of course you lose them. 40 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:19,853 They'll grow back. 41 00:03:21,020 --> 00:03:26,020 You love having holes for hearing, for seeing, for smelling, 42 00:03:28,150 --> 00:03:33,150 and breathing, and for eating grilled cheese sandwiches. 43 00:03:36,210 --> 00:03:38,077 So tell your friends, 44 00:03:38,077 --> 00:03:42,920 "Nice skull, it gives your face a good shape." 45 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,727 Tell your family, 46 00:03:44,727 --> 00:03:49,727 "Thanks for helping my skull grow strong and the hard." 47 00:03:50,380 --> 00:03:55,380 Shout to the world, "I love my skull." 48 00:03:56,890 --> 00:04:01,500 Take care of your skull because you only get one. 49 00:04:01,500 --> 00:04:04,290 And think of how amazing it is 50 00:04:04,290 --> 00:04:08,465 to have such good bones in your body. 51 00:04:08,465 --> 00:04:10,960 (upbeat music) 52 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,930 Okay, time for our spooky Halloween science activities. 53 00:04:14,930 --> 00:04:17,030 We have three activities. 54 00:04:17,030 --> 00:04:20,490 And I'd also like to introduce my assistant, Jack. 55 00:04:20,490 --> 00:04:23,000 He will be here with us. 56 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,240 He'll maybe be able to help out, but I'm not so sure. 57 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,300 Our first activity is called head harp. 58 00:04:29,300 --> 00:04:33,330 And all you need for this is a piece of string. 59 00:04:33,330 --> 00:04:35,280 And you probably want to use 60 00:04:35,280 --> 00:04:38,610 slightly thicker string like twine, 61 00:04:38,610 --> 00:04:41,430 and you also need an assistant. 62 00:04:41,430 --> 00:04:43,400 If there's a grownup around your house, 63 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,830 they make particularly good assistance. 64 00:04:45,830 --> 00:04:48,070 So try that. 65 00:04:48,070 --> 00:04:50,500 I'm gonna pretend like I'm two different people, 66 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:52,003 'cause I'm just one person. 67 00:04:52,950 --> 00:04:55,810 What you need to do is, 68 00:04:55,810 --> 00:04:59,950 you're gonna put the string around the back of your head 69 00:04:59,950 --> 00:05:03,930 and you are going to cover both of your ears. 70 00:05:03,930 --> 00:05:06,640 So put your hands over your ears. 71 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:10,880 The assistant will hold the string in place. 72 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,250 And while you have your hands over your ears, 73 00:05:14,250 --> 00:05:19,250 the assistant will pluck this like it was a guitar string. 74 00:05:21,530 --> 00:05:24,923 This is your skull at work. 75 00:05:26,650 --> 00:05:29,820 What might you hear inside your head 76 00:05:29,820 --> 00:05:33,950 if you have something that's vibrating your skull 77 00:05:33,950 --> 00:05:36,040 like this string? 78 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:37,640 This is called head harp. 79 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,230 It's a good activity for your skull, 80 00:05:40,230 --> 00:05:42,043 for you and your skull. 81 00:05:42,043 --> 00:05:44,690 (upbeat music) 82 00:05:44,690 --> 00:05:48,430 This is a sound effect science activity. 83 00:05:48,430 --> 00:05:53,430 So, first thing you want to do is you want a plastic cup. 84 00:05:53,850 --> 00:05:56,180 You could also use a paper clip. 85 00:05:56,180 --> 00:05:59,660 And a ballpoint pen is good for this 86 00:05:59,660 --> 00:06:03,130 because you want to very, very carefully 87 00:06:03,130 --> 00:06:05,830 poke a hole in the bottom of the cup. 88 00:06:05,830 --> 00:06:08,000 I put my hand all the way in the cup 89 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,040 so I can sort of hold the bottom of the cup in place. 90 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:14,030 This would be easier if you're using a paper cup. 91 00:06:14,030 --> 00:06:17,810 And you just want to make a small hole 92 00:06:17,810 --> 00:06:21,810 just about the size of the tip of the ballpoint pen. 93 00:06:21,810 --> 00:06:24,040 And this might be a good time 94 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:28,800 to also ask your grownup assistant to help you out 95 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,610 'cause they might be better at poking the hole 96 00:06:31,610 --> 00:06:34,470 with the ballpoint pen into the bottom of the cup. 97 00:06:34,470 --> 00:06:36,190 I already poked the hole in this cup, 98 00:06:36,190 --> 00:06:39,210 but you would just put it right there 99 00:06:39,210 --> 00:06:43,640 and just poke it through so that you get a small hole. 100 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:47,140 So I already poked a hole in the bottom of this cup. 101 00:06:47,140 --> 00:06:50,580 Both plastic. This was a blue one, this is a red one. 102 00:06:50,580 --> 00:06:52,290 And the next thing you want to do 103 00:06:52,290 --> 00:06:56,960 is you want to take a paper clip and the piece of string. 104 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,130 You actually want this thinner 105 00:06:59,130 --> 00:07:02,790 than that piece of twine you used for a head harp. 106 00:07:02,790 --> 00:07:07,790 And not quite as thin as thread, but pretty thin string. 107 00:07:08,190 --> 00:07:11,360 And you want to tie it very, very securely 108 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,580 to the middle of the paperclip. 109 00:07:14,580 --> 00:07:19,513 And maybe a tie a double knot so it's nice and secure. 110 00:07:20,810 --> 00:07:23,290 So, now, this is securely tied 111 00:07:23,290 --> 00:07:25,670 onto the middle of the paper clip. 112 00:07:25,670 --> 00:07:29,000 I'm gonna take the other end, the non-paper clip end, 113 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:34,000 and I am going to thread it through that hole 114 00:07:34,100 --> 00:07:35,127 in the top of the cup. 115 00:07:35,127 --> 00:07:36,853 I'm gonna reach in. 116 00:07:40,380 --> 00:07:43,740 So there it is at the end of the cup. 117 00:07:43,740 --> 00:07:47,110 And the string is nice and secure 118 00:07:47,110 --> 00:07:50,210 because the paperclip is not letting it go through the hole. 119 00:07:50,210 --> 00:07:54,600 And you might want to even add a little piece of scotch tape 120 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:58,060 just to make extra extra sure 121 00:07:58,060 --> 00:08:01,330 that that paperclip is held in place. 122 00:08:01,330 --> 00:08:03,940 So I just added a little piece of tape on the top. 123 00:08:03,940 --> 00:08:08,400 All right, now you need a little cup of water 124 00:08:09,300 --> 00:08:12,230 because you're gonna be dipping your fingers into the water 125 00:08:12,230 --> 00:08:15,450 and you want to make sure that the string is nice and wet. 126 00:08:15,450 --> 00:08:18,853 So I'm actually gonna wet the string. Okay. 127 00:08:21,700 --> 00:08:25,040 And are we ready for the creaking door? 128 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,493 It was a dark and stormy night. 129 00:08:28,510 --> 00:08:32,330 I heard footsteps outside the door. 130 00:08:32,330 --> 00:08:34,236 Suddenly... 131 00:08:34,236 --> 00:08:36,151 (string creaking) 132 00:08:36,151 --> 00:08:38,389 (gasps) The door started to open. 133 00:08:38,389 --> 00:08:40,448 (creaking continues) 134 00:08:40,448 --> 00:08:42,250 (gasps) It opened a little bit more. 135 00:08:42,250 --> 00:08:46,288 Who could be on the other side of the door? 136 00:08:46,288 --> 00:08:48,514 (creaking continues) 137 00:08:48,514 --> 00:08:50,670 (gasps) Was it a ghost? 138 00:08:50,670 --> 00:08:52,730 But a ghost wouldn't need to use the door. 139 00:08:52,730 --> 00:08:55,812 The ghost would just kind of go right through the door. 140 00:08:55,812 --> 00:08:58,000 (creaking continues) 141 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:01,713 Oh! It was just my dad with some Halloween candy. 142 00:09:03,215 --> 00:09:04,460 (string creaking) 143 00:09:04,460 --> 00:09:09,010 The creaking door happens because your fingers, 144 00:09:09,010 --> 00:09:10,780 your wet fingers, 145 00:09:10,780 --> 00:09:13,550 are sort of stopping and starting 146 00:09:13,550 --> 00:09:16,080 and stopping and starting on the string. 147 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:19,310 The string isn't oily, your fingers aren't oily... 148 00:09:20,223 --> 00:09:21,950 (string creaking) 149 00:09:21,950 --> 00:09:25,173 And you just get that nice kind of creaking sound. 150 00:09:26,010 --> 00:09:29,760 And because it's in the cup, 151 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:33,443 the sound of the friction from your finger 152 00:09:33,443 --> 00:09:35,300 (creaking continues) 153 00:09:35,300 --> 00:09:39,520 pulling on the string echoes inside of the cup. 154 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,090 The cup acts as a little echo chamber. 155 00:09:42,090 --> 00:09:46,870 And probably, the cup itself vibrates a little bit too. 156 00:09:46,870 --> 00:09:48,660 Sound is a vibration. 157 00:09:48,660 --> 00:09:51,040 You're kind of vibrating the string 158 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:55,470 by stopping and starting as you pull your finger down. 159 00:09:55,470 --> 00:09:57,340 And if the cup itself, 160 00:09:57,340 --> 00:09:59,540 in addition to the string is vibrating, 161 00:09:59,540 --> 00:10:01,960 that's called sympathetic vibration. 162 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:03,963 If I just pulled on the string, 163 00:10:05,210 --> 00:10:07,090 you don't get any creaking sound. 164 00:10:07,090 --> 00:10:11,010 You really need that cup to act as an echo chamber. 165 00:10:11,010 --> 00:10:14,130 So you can do a whole sound effects thing, 166 00:10:14,130 --> 00:10:15,629 tell a story and... 167 00:10:15,629 --> 00:10:17,299 (string creaking) 168 00:10:17,299 --> 00:10:19,860 (upbeat music) 169 00:10:19,860 --> 00:10:24,310 This third Halloween science activity is called, 170 00:10:24,310 --> 00:10:26,860 the haunted rice. 171 00:10:26,860 --> 00:10:30,790 So I have just some plain rice. 172 00:10:30,790 --> 00:10:33,960 It could be brown rice, it could be white rice. 173 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,573 The rice is a little bit starchy, which is why we use rice. 174 00:10:38,488 --> 00:10:40,520 But it's not cooked, it's raw. 175 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,270 And you need a wine glass. 176 00:10:43,270 --> 00:10:48,270 Again, you may have to consult with a grown-up assistant 177 00:10:48,300 --> 00:10:49,810 for this as well. 178 00:10:49,810 --> 00:10:54,810 So, I put some grains of rice into the cup 179 00:10:54,810 --> 00:10:56,530 with a little bit of water. 180 00:10:56,530 --> 00:10:58,100 I already did this. 181 00:10:58,100 --> 00:10:59,470 And then I have a spoon. 182 00:10:59,470 --> 00:11:03,110 So, see now the rice kernels are a little bit wet. 183 00:11:03,110 --> 00:11:05,480 But because rice is kind of starchy, 184 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,420 when they get a little bit wet, not cooked, 185 00:11:08,420 --> 00:11:11,580 but a little bit wet, they get a little bit sticky. 186 00:11:11,580 --> 00:11:13,650 And I'm using the spoon 187 00:11:13,650 --> 00:11:18,650 to sort of just smash them up 188 00:11:18,730 --> 00:11:21,520 against the sides of the glass. 189 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:24,140 You don't want to use too much rice 190 00:11:24,140 --> 00:11:25,350 'cause you don't want to make 191 00:11:25,350 --> 00:11:28,630 the whole glass and rice thing too heavy. 192 00:11:28,630 --> 00:11:31,760 But you don't want too few grains of rice either. 193 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:36,020 So, there we have the grains of rice 194 00:11:36,020 --> 00:11:39,500 stuck against the side of the wineglass. 195 00:11:39,500 --> 00:11:43,393 And you need a glass with a stem like this. 196 00:11:45,010 --> 00:11:48,870 Now, because you already have a little cup of water, 197 00:11:48,870 --> 00:11:51,240 you poured some into the glass 198 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:54,323 to just wet the raw kernels of rice. 199 00:11:55,300 --> 00:11:56,740 Now you're gonna do that old thing 200 00:11:56,740 --> 00:11:58,970 of playing the wine glass, 201 00:11:58,970 --> 00:12:01,080 kind of like it's a musical instrument, 202 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:04,680 but let's see what happens to the rice when I do that. 203 00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:06,340 Is the rice haunted? 204 00:12:06,340 --> 00:12:07,837 Maybe it is. 205 00:12:07,837 --> 00:12:09,810 I'm gonna wet my finger. 206 00:12:09,810 --> 00:12:11,400 First of all, I'm gonna wash my hands, 207 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:13,270 which you should be doing a lot anyway. 208 00:12:13,270 --> 00:12:14,300 I'm gonna wash my hands 209 00:12:14,300 --> 00:12:18,680 to make sure that there aren't any natural oils on my hand. 210 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:21,700 And this may take a while to get going, 211 00:12:21,700 --> 00:12:25,280 but you're gonna hear that nice high bell sound, 212 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:27,843 which, again, is gonna be friction. 213 00:12:30,846 --> 00:12:33,929 (wine glass chiming) 214 00:12:43,503 --> 00:12:48,003 And the rice seems to be haunted because it's chiming. 215 00:12:53,932 --> 00:12:57,400 That sound you hear is vibration, 216 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:02,400 and that vibration is making the whole glass vibrate. 217 00:13:03,390 --> 00:13:05,930 (chiming continues) 218 00:13:05,930 --> 00:13:07,860 And I don't know if the kernels of rice 219 00:13:07,860 --> 00:13:09,614 are trying to run away. 220 00:13:09,614 --> 00:13:12,614 (chiming continues) 221 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:16,650 So there you have it. 222 00:13:16,650 --> 00:13:21,650 Head harp using your skull, the creaking door, 223 00:13:22,140 --> 00:13:24,560 and the haunted rice. 224 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:27,950 Happy scientific Halloween. 225 00:13:27,950 --> 00:13:29,666 Thank you, Jack. 226 00:13:29,666 --> 00:13:31,960 (upbeat music) 227 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:33,830 Halloween poetry corner. 228 00:13:33,830 --> 00:13:36,747 This is a very, very short poem called, 229 00:13:36,747 --> 00:13:41,683 "Flutter, Flutter Little Bat" by Leanne Guenther. 230 00:13:43,460 --> 00:13:48,460 Flutter, flutter little bat, how I wonder where you're at. 231 00:13:49,690 --> 00:13:52,370 Swooping through the darkest night, 232 00:13:52,370 --> 00:13:56,730 you find your way without a light. 233 00:13:56,730 --> 00:13:59,020 Flutter, flutter little bat, 234 00:13:59,020 --> 00:14:02,363 how I wonder where you're at. 235 00:14:03,340 --> 00:14:05,010 Now, this is really interesting 236 00:14:05,010 --> 00:14:09,970 because bats don't see when they fly around in the night. 237 00:14:09,970 --> 00:14:13,650 They use something called echo location. 238 00:14:13,650 --> 00:14:16,500 This whole episode has been about Halloween, yes, 239 00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:19,360 but also about sound. 240 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:24,360 Bats use sound to see in the dark. 241 00:14:24,619 --> 00:14:27,202 (upbeat music)
Join us for the Halloween edition of Storytime Science—a storybook read-aloud followed by a simple related activity geared toward very young children. Exploratorium's Vivian Altmann will read aloud Skulls! by Blair Thornburgh and illustrated by Scott Campbell, and guide you through three slightly spooky activities you can do with simple household items. For Head Harp, you'll need some thick string or twine, your head, and an assistant (a grown-up will do). For The Creaking Door, you'll need a thin plastic or paper cup, some string, a paper clip, a ball-point pen, and a small cup of water. For The Haunted Rice, you'll need some raw rice, water, a wine glass with a stem, and a grown-up assistant. Free online event. Recommended for ages 3+.
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