From Vibrations to Take-Off: Discovering the Science of Sound and Flight

Science is all around us, shaping the way we hear, move, and explore the world. Through the Science of Sound and Science of Flight topics, children are introduced to big ideas in physics in a way that feels exciting, accessible, and inspiring. By looking at everyday experiences through a scientific lens, learners begin to understand how the unseen forces of vibration and air create incredible things.

The Science of Sound: Making Sense of What We Hear

Sound starts with something straightforward: movement. Whenever an object vibrates, it causes nearby particles to move too. This movement travels outward as sound waves through air, water, or solid materials, eventually reaching our ears.

Sound waves are known as longitudinal waves. As they travel, particles are gently pushed together and pulled apart, creating patterns of compressions and rarefactions. Our ears pick up these tiny pressure changes and send signals to the brain, which then turns them into the sounds we recognise every day.

What we will learn about sound:

Pitch and Loudness

Not all sounds are the same, and two key ideas help explain why:

Pitch is linked to how fast something vibrates. Faster vibrations create higher sounds, while slower vibrations create deeper ones.
Loudness depends on how strong those vibrations are. Bigger vibrations carry more energy and sound louder.

These ideas help explain everything from musical notes to everyday noises.

How Sound Travels

Sound needs a medium to travel through. It cannot move through space, but it can travel through solids, liquids, and gases.

In solids, particles are close together, so sound travels quickly.
In liquids, sound moves a little more slowly.
In the air, sound travels the slowest.

This is why sound can sometimes seem clearer or louder when it travels through walls, water, or strings.

Sound, Distance, and Energy

As sound waves move away from their source, they spread out. This means the energy is spread over a larger area, making the sound quieter with distance. The further a sound travels, the softer it becomes—a simple but powerful idea that helps explain how we experience sound in everyday life.

The Science of Flight: How Air Makes Things Fly

Although we can’t see air, it plays a massive role in how objects move. The Science of Flight explores how air pushes, lifts, and slows objects, allowing them to glide, spin, or float gently to the ground.

What we will learn about flight:

The Forces at Work

Flying and falling objects are affected by four main forces:

Lift, which pushes upward
Weight, which pulls downward due to gravity
Thrust, which moves an object forward
Drag, which resists motion through the air

Understanding how these forces work together helps explain how flight is possible.

Lift and Wing Shape

Many flying objects use a special shape called an aerofoil. This shape helps air move faster over the top surface and slower underneath. Faster-moving air creates lower pressure, while slower air creates higher pressure, resulting in an upward push known as lift.

At the same time, wings push air downward, and the air pushes back upward. This action-and-reaction is described by Newton’s Third Law and plays a vital role in keeping objects in the air.

Air Resistance and Movement

As objects move through the air, they experience air resistance, also known as drag. Streamlined shapes allow air to flow smoothly, reducing drag, while wider shapes increase resistance and slow objects down.

This idea explains why some objects fall quickly, while others drift slowly. Nature makes excellent use of this principle, from floating seeds to gliding animals, and engineers often take inspiration from these designs.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists

Our Science of Sound and Science of Flight topics are designed to spark curiosity and excitement. By linking scientific ideas to familiar experiences—like hearing a sound or watching something fly—we help children see that science is part of their everyday lives.

We encourage children to ask questions, share ideas, and feel confident exploring how the world works. We aim to inspire a sense of wonder and help every child begin to see themselves as a scientist, a thinker, and a problem-solver.

Contact us now to make a booking for a Science of Sound or Flight Workshop!

We booked a corporate animal therapy session as part of Mental Health Awareness week, and it was truly loved by everyone. The animal expert Harriet was absolutely fantastic - super knowledgable, engaging and clearly passionate about every animal she introduced us to.
The visit included a snake, rabbit, gerbil, snail and more - all of which were super theraputic! It was amazing to see how quickly the team relaxed and connected with the animals. Harriet created such a calm environment that even our more hesitant colleagues were soon happily holding the snake.
We can't recommend Wild Science highly enough - if you're looking to boost morale, reduce stress or just do something a little bit different for your team.

This experience is absolutely perfect for introducing young children to science! It’s amazing for teaching topics like vertebrate classifications or different types of species, even for children as young as 3! Harriet and her animals are wonderful! They are so calm, friendly, and engaging. You can really see how much she cares about both the animals and the children’s learning. Thank you for such a fantastic and educational experience! Highly recommended! 🦎 🐇 🐹

We were delighted to have both Shannon & Amy attend our free family event at Crystal Peaks shopping centre this Friday.
Their communication on the run-up to our event was great. On the day, the head office called us to check everything was ready & the hosts arrived in plenty of time.
We had a lot of very excited guests that got to enjoy a range of fascinating creatures throughout the day.
The team were great with the public & very knowledgeable about their little critters.
We can't recommend Wild Science enough.
Thank you for making our day so good.
🐌🐍🦎🐀🐛😍

Amazing experience with harriet, we had a birthday party for a 22year old and she was so lovely and explained everything very well. She gave us all enough time with each animal and even let us have mango the snake around our necks while we held other creatures!!
Everyone had an amazing time and the pictures came out wicked!! Even got a picture with carlos the crested gecko on the birthday boys head😆Thank you so much wild science and a big thank you to Harriet for being a great host☺️

What an incredible experience! Booked for my sister’s 31st birthday, we couldn’t have had a better time! Jess immediately made everyone feel at ease and relaxed, was incredibly attentive to my sister’s energy levels (she has severe M.E.), asking if she wanted to take breaks or lay quietly with a Guinea pig.
Jess shared her wealth of knowledge with us in a very humour filled way, answering any questions we had. The animals she brought with her were amazing and all seemed incredibly happy and healthy. Such a range of different animals, a lesser tenrec, a tree frog, two Guinea pigs, a tortoise, a scorpion, a giant snail and a python!
Thank you Jess for such a special birthday treat for my sister, and incredible memories for our whole family to cherish!

George Brown was booked for our granddaughter's birthday party. He and his wonderful animal friends enthralled everyone there from 2 years old to 70 somethings. George has a wonderful gift for communicating his knowledge and love of the animals he generously shared with us. Book him! You won't be disappointed.

Amazing experience with Harriet, we had a birthday party for a 22-year-old, and she was so lovely and explained everything very well. She gave us all enough time with each animal and even let us have Mango, the snake, around our necks while we held other creatures!
Everyone had an amazing time, and the pictures came out wicked!! Even got a picture with Carlos the crested gecko on the birthday boy's head😆
Thank you so much, Wild Science, and a big thank you to Harriet for being a great host☺️

Wholly recommended the experience with Wild Science. From the telephone call through to the day itself, the team are professional and very communicative. Harriet was amazing with the animals and children. Our birthday girl and friends had such a great time petting the animals (as much or as little as they wanted to). Harriet had some wonderful facts to share and responded so sensitively and helpfully to answer all questions the children had. Thanks so much- it was a delight to have you for our daughter’s birthday party.

We really enjoyed our experience with the reptiles, they were so calm and settled, just amazing and great ❤️

Great fun for kids the lady was very nice and the animals were cool

An unforgettable experience. Your kids will love it! We had Susie in Edinburgh, she was exceptionally good - with the animals and the kids, and the grown-ups too! We all had an amazing time. I highly recommend booking Susie for Wild Science if you're in Scotland. So many memories made!

Suzie held an event in Sandylands holiday park today and we had a ball! every animal is well cared for and beautiful. very versed on each animals needs and nature, took the time to explain certain facts and even sat down at the end of her time to talk more on her other animals! cannot recommend suzie enough!!

We booked a corporate animal therapy session as part of Mental Health Awareness week, and it was truly loved by everyone. [...] Harriet was absolutely fantastic - super knowledgable, engaging and clearly passionate about every animal she introduced us to. [...] Harriet created such a calm environment that even our more hesitant colleagues were soon happily holding the snake. We can't recommend Wild Science highly enough - if you're looking to boost morale, reduce stress or just do something a little bit different for your team.

Susie was at Parkdean in Saltcoats and it was a fantastic experience. Very knowledgeable and chatted and answered questions from children and adults. Loved it.

Made my child's summer holding a royal python!

Attended a group with my husband & kids. Youngest being 1 & it was incredible. Different kinds of animals, was able to hold what we could & pet the rest.
Thanks again for the incredible experience! Fidget was amazing & we are now thinking if adding ferrets to the family. I hope fidget enjoys his chicken 🐔

Kids had a total blast at Wild Science. So did mum!
We got to meet a cockroach, a snake, 2 geckos, a bearded dragon, a ferret, a mexican tarantula, and a bunny!
The lady was going to name a cockroach 🪳 after my son Leon 🤣 poor kid was peed and pooped on, it was sooo funny! Everyone had such a great time. Thanks for entertaining us. 😆

Animal visit (Summer Fair Gilmerton Community Centre)
The management committee would like to thank Susie and trainee Amy for bringing the animals to the Community Centres Summer Fair. Once again, they were very popular with adults and children. Those attending said they enjoyed meeting and learning about the animals up close.

We were delighted to have both Shannon & Amy attend our free family event at Crystal Peaks shopping centre this Friday. Their communication on the run-up to our event was great. On the day, the head office called us to check everything was ready & the hosts arrived in plenty of time. We had a lot of very excited guests that got to enjoy a range of fascinating creatures throughout the day. The team were great with the public & very knowledgeable about their little critters. We can't recommend Wild Science enough. Thank you for making our day so good.

The animal expert we were lucky enough to have from wild science was excellent. She even managed to keep the kids at a 7 year old birthday party relatively quiet and very interested. Would highly recommend.

It was a wonderful day had by all, the adults and children really had a great time every animal was explained in great detail and we will be booking them for further events

My son (4) and his friends had the most wonderful time! The scientist was totally able to engage their attention for over an hour and they had fun and learned so much too! Thanks for the best party!

We have used Wild Science for 3 years at our school. Each year they deliver wonderful sessions to Nursery and Reception children. We have never had any issues and would recommend them to everyone. The children love the experience and the animals and staff are amazing!

Thank you Wild Science for such an amazing party! Amy was super professional and had the kids eating out of the palm of her hand. My son absolutely loved the animals she brought and we were so impressed with how she handled the group (of 3-5 year olds) and gave them interesting and fun facts about each animal which kept all the kids interested and engaged. It was so much fun, we would highly recommend it!!!

Ross was absolutely amazing. So patient, kind and knowledgeable of the animals and the slime workshop. We had a party of 20 and with the madness that ensued he was always calm and reassuring for each child if they were apprehensive of holding any animal - big or small. Would 100% book Wild Science again, especially Ross.
Thank you for making our animal lovers birthday so special!

Ross came to my sons 3rd birthday, he was brilliant, the kids had a great time, the whole thing was really relaxed and everyone got a good amount of time with the animals and really enjoyed the experience - the customer service beforehand was really good, great communication and lots of questions answered - highly recommend!

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