Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Can You Hear Me?

Mr. Jack had a fun surprise at the Chesnee Home school class last week.  He had the children make mechanical (tin can) telephones.  Oh, boy!  The eyes lit up and excitement built as Mr. Jack discussed the origins of the telephone.  He explained how the wires must be hung and how they only could transmit so far.  He related it to how the tin can phones they were about to make would work.  The children couldn't believe how crude the first telephone actually was.  That is, until they used their tin can phones.

Mr. Jack had an assortment of materials to use.  Large and small tin cans, plastic cups, and string.  The children paired up and selected their materials.  Some chose the large tin cans for each.  Others decided to mix it up with a large and small can.  Still some decided to use a tin can and a plastic cup.  Which combination would work best? 

They tied string to the cups and cans.  They tested the sound quality.  Learning how to stand correctly and keep the string tight was hard for them.  They wanted to face each other! 

Finally, after they tested their creations, Mr. Jack took the class outside to test the quality.  (The library room was too loud and small.)  Mr. Jack had the children line up in a chain fashion.  They were to play the game telephone with their telephones.  He told one child the word to transmit and the journey began.  Many had to repeat what they spoke into the can.  Deciphering was hard at times.  The word didn't always get to the last person the way it started.  Although, it was close.  Dog became dot.  Hot became hat.  Bog became log. 

This fun experiment left a lasting impression on the children.  They understood how far technology has improved the most used communication device.  With my techno driven children, they had a new appreciation for the cellular phones we now take for granted.