Sounds High and Low
Your child will investigate different sounds, such as high-pitch and low-pitch sounds. They will tap the glasses to make sounds. They will observe how changing the amount of water in a glass changes its sound.
Materials
Directions
Set two glasses or jars on a table or a counter. Leave some space between the glasses. Your child should be able to tap a glass with a pencil without touching the glass next to it. Set out the other materials.
Help your child pour a few drops of food coloring into the water pitcher. This will help you and your child see the water better. Help your child pour just a little bit of water into one glass. Help your child pour water into the other glass until it is almost full.
Your child can gently tap the glasses with a pencil. Ask your child to observe with their eyes and their ears. Your child can describe the sounds they hear and the water level in each glass. Ask your child to compare the sounds and compare the water levels. What do they notice? For example, the glass with just a little bit of water makes a higher-pitch sound, and the full glass makes a lower-pitch sound.
Set an empty glass between the almost-empty glass and the almost-full glass. Leave enough space between glasses for your child to tap. Ask your child to decide how much water to put into this glass. Help your child pour water into the glass. Your child can predict what kind of sound this glass will make sound when they tap it. Your child can observe the sound and describe it. How is the sound different from the almost-full glass? From the almost-empty glass?
Pour the water from the middle glass back into the pitcher. Challenge your child to make this glass have the same sound as the almost-empty glass. Your child can predict how much water they will need to put in. How will they know when the sound is the same? What do they notice about the amount of water? How does it compare to the amount in the almost-empty glass? Now challenge your child to make this glass have the same sound as the almost-full glass.
Encourage your child to share what they noticed. Ask them to compare the sounds the glasses made. What did they observe about the water level and the pitch of the sound? How does the amount of water in a glass change the pitch of the sound?
Explore Further
Your child can explore the sounds of the different water glasses in different ways. For example, ask your child to tap on a glass while you fill it slowly. What do they notice? Or your child can play the glasses in any order to make up a song. They may try to play something that sounds like a simple song they know.
Want more “Hero Elementary” activities? Check out the Shrinking Shadows activity and the Lid Top Slide game to continue the fun!
Arts