Band Rollers Activity

Band Rollers Activity Card NEWS BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS! Designers say clockwork technology could help to slow down climate change. Inventors of wind up radios, torches and children’s toys that don’t need batteries, or fuel, are invited to enter them in the CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGE at the Startown Technology Show. Designers say clockwork technology could help to slow down climate change. Inventors of wind up radios, torches and children’s toys that don’t need batteries, or fuel, are invited to enter them in the CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGE at the Startown Technology Show. NEWS NEWS Designers say clockwork technology could help to slow down climate change. Inventors of wind up radios, torches and children’s toys that don’t need batteries, or fuel, are invited to enter them in the CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGE at the Startown Technology Show. Your challenge Can you make a wind up toy for the Technology Show? You might not be able to make a clockwork toy but you could use elastic bands instead. Investigate what makes a ‘good’ wind-up toy? What can you do to make your wind-up toy go faster, or travel further? Discuss How do clockwork toys work? What might make a difference to how long they keep going or how fast they go? Why are elastic bands like clockwork? How could wind up toys help to combat climate change?

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Tape Elastic band Half a matchstick Getting started How to make a band roller: 1. Use a piece of candle, about 1 cm thick. Remove the wick (string) to leave a hole. 2. Push an elastic band through the centre hole of a cotton reel (Figure 1). 3. Put half a matchstick through one end of the elastic band loop and tape it to the cotton reel (Figure 2). 4. Thread the other end of the elastic band through the hole in the candle (Figure 3). 5. Now put a whole matchstick through the elastic band loop by the candle (Figure 3). 6. Wind the long matchstick to twist the elastic band. 7. Put the band roller down and see if it moves! Test your ideas Race your band roller against other groups. Compare how well they work. You will need to change one factor at a time to try to find out what improves the toy. You could try changing the size of the elastic band, the number of winds, the size of the roller, or the surface you are racing on How will you record your results? Share your ideas Which band roller went the fastest or furthest? What made a difference? What could you change to make your band roller work better? Extra things to do Will your roller go uphill? Can you make it look really interesting? What else could you make using wind up power? British Science Association Registered Charity No. 212479 and SC039236