Jitterbugs

Dancing Jitterbug

£2.20 each + presenter costs.

This is an activity for Years 2 to 8 and takes approximately 1 - 2 hours.

Pupils work well in pairs

Starting with a kit of parts, students have the opportunity to build a Jitterbug using simple tools.

Once built and switched on, the out-of-balance motor produces vibrations, which travel down the flexible legs and cause the Jitterbug to move in an unpredictable manner.

Switched-On Jitterbug

£2.80 each + presenter costs.

This is an activity for Years 3 to 9 and takes approximately 1 - 2 hours.

Pupils work well in pairs.

Starting with a kit of parts, students have the opportunity to build a Jitterbug using simple tools.

Once built and switched on, the out-of-balance motor produces vibrations, which travel down the flexible legs and cause the Jitterbug to move in an unpredictable manner.

The session is extended by building a simple switch remote press switch to control the motor. Students build a ‘double-decker sandwich’ of thin card, aluminium tape and sticky-backed plastic. By this means, they have an effective way of controlling the motor from a distance.

Building the remote press switch takes approximately 1 hour

Super Jitterbug

£5.70 each + presenter costs.

This enjoyable activity for Years 3 to 9, takes approximately 2 - 2½ hours.

Pupils work well in pairs

Starting with a kit of parts, students have the opportunity to build a Jitterbug using simple tools.

Once built and switched on, the out-of-balance motor produces vibrations, which travel down the flexible legs and cause the Jitterbug to move in an unpredictable manner.

Building the Jitterbug takes approximately 1 hour.

Once the jitterbug has been tested, the students are introduced to simple control technology. They adapt their electrical circuit by using a switch to turn the motor on and off and add an LED and buzzer whose actions are controlled by another two-way switch.

Adapting the circuit and adding the switches takes approximately 1 hour.

The Super Jitterbug addresses QCA Units Sc 2E, 4F:

Design and Technology

* Try out tools and techniques

* Assemble and combine components

* Design and make images and artefacts
* Review what they and others have done
* Identify what they might change to make it better
* Work as a team and follow planning
* Carry out appropriate tests before making any improvements
* Recognise that the quality of a product depends on how well it is made

* How mechanism can be used to make things move in different ways

* The vibration gets stronger as the weight gets further from the motor spine

Science:

* Cells (batteries) give electrical energy
* Conductors carry electricity

* Metals are conductors

* Non-metals are insulators

* Vibrations produce movement and sound

* Electricity flows in a particular direction

* The direction of the electrical current decides which way an electric motor turns

* A flywheel keeps a motor turning
* A weight on the edge of a flywheel causes vibrations

The Greater Manchester STEM Centre