What Students Will Do

  • 🔧 Build a Real Stethoscope - Assemble 3D printed parts, recycled plastic, and beverage tubing into a working medical tool
  • 👂 Test Everything - Try the stethoscope on tables, walls, water bottles, and anything else they can reach
  • 🔎 Mystery Sound Challenge - Hidden sounds are sealed inside boxes - can you figure out what you're hearing using only your stethoscope?
  • 💓 Listen to Your Body - Hear your own heartbeat race after jumping, listen to your breathing, and discover what your tummy sounds like
  • 🏠 Take It Home - Keep your stethoscope and keep exploring sounds at home!

The Mystery Box Challenge

  • 📦 Sealed Boxes, Hidden Sounds - Each station holds something making a sound too quiet to hear without your stethoscope
  • 👀 No Peeking! - Your ears are the only tool allowed - press your stethoscope to the box and listen carefully
  • 🤔 What Could It Be? - Is it crackling? Ticking? Rushing? Fizzing? Every box sounds different
  • ⌛ Can You Listen to Time? - Some sounds will surprise you - you've never heard anything quite like this before
  • 🎉 The Big Reveal - After everyone guesses, we open the boxes together!

What Students Will Learn

Sound & Vibration

Everything that makes a sound is vibrating - your stethoscope helps you hear vibrations that are too quiet for ears alone.

Tools Extend Our Senses

Doctors use stethoscopes because some sounds are too quiet to hear without help. Tools make us better observers!

Careful Observation

Scientists don't just look - they listen, compare, and describe. That's exactly what Sound Detectives do.

Making from Recycling

Your stethoscope diaphragm comes from a yogurt lid! Everyday "trash" can become real, working tools.

Made from Stuff Around the House

  • ♻️ Recycle #5 Plastic - Families send in a clean yogurt lid or deli container lid (polypropylene) - it becomes the stethoscope diaphragm!
  • 🍻 Beverage Tubing - The same soft, flexible tubing used in soda fountain machines worldwide
  • 🛠️ 3D Printed Parts - Chest piece and connectors printed right here in our maker lab
  • 🔊 Real Ear Tips - Comfortable, extra-small ear tips sized for young ears

Designed for Little Makers

  • No Cutting, No Sharp Tools - All materials are pre-cut and ready to assemble
  • Snap & Push Assembly - Parts connect by pushing tubing onto connectors - small hands can do it!
  • Comfortable Ear Tips - Extra-small tips that sit gently - no need to push them in
  • Body Listening Over Clothes - Heartbeats and breathing are heard right through shirts
  • Supervised Stations - Mystery boxes are staffed so every child gets guided through the experience

Why Schools Love This Workshop

  • Perfect for Pre-K - Specifically designed for 4 and 5 year olds, not watered down from an older program
  • High Engagement - Kids want to listen to everything - tables, walls, friends, their own tummies
  • Real Tool, Real Science - They're not pretending - the stethoscope actually works
  • Take-Home Learning - The stethoscope goes home, and the exploring continues
  • Easy Setup - We bring everything and set up the mystery stations
  • Low Mess - No paint, no glue, no cleanup headaches

Workshop Flow

  • Welcome (5 min) - "What does a doctor use to listen?" - every kid knows this one!
  • Build (15 min) - Assemble stethoscopes from kits with pre-attached ear tips
  • Free Explore (10 min) - Listen to everything in the room - tables, walls, water bottles, the floor
  • Mystery Boxes (20 min) - Rotate through stations, listen, guess, and discuss
  • Body Sounds (10 min) - Jumping jacks, then listen to racing hearts and heavy breathing

Perfect For

  • Pre-K & Kindergarten Classes - Ideal for the youngest learners
  • Daycare & Preschool Programs - Structured, engaging, age-appropriate
  • STEM Days - A hands-on station the littles can actually do
  • Community Events - Works great as a drop-in activity with guidance