Create a Christmas tree spiral
Have you ever heard of the fact that hot air rises? In today’s project, we are going to prove this by using a simple experiment with a bit of creative Christmas flair. We are going to make a spiral Christmas tree that spins. The spin will be given off by the hot rising air which will be given off by candles. If you’re a kid doing this project, ask an adult to help you out, since we will be using fire. We will need very few simple materials to do this. Let’s check them out together.
Get your materials ready!
* you can choose any colour for the paper, we went for these three since we want a traditional-looking tree.
Try it out!
Step 1
The first thing to do is to draw a spiral shape on our green sheet of paper, starting from the centre, and moving outwards. You can also print a spiral shape on the paper to get a perfect spiral.
Step 2
Use the scissors to cut the spiral out.
Step 3
Use the red and yellow paper to cut out different shapes. These will be our tree decorations. You can decorate the tree with any kind of shapes. We went for stars and baubles. Use the glue to attach them to the spiral tree. We chose paper for these decorations to reduce the weight on the spiral tree.
Step 4
Use the tape to attach the sewing pin with the tip of the kebab stick. The sewing pin will be the pivot point for the spiral. Having a smaller pivot point will help reduce friction during spinning.
Step 5
Make a base for the kebab stick using the playdough. This will keep the kebab stick standing upright. Then, balance the spiral on the pin.
Step 6
Last step! Light up the candle and slide it under the spiral. Watch your spiral spin.
Tips
Show us what you’ve made! Take a photo of at least 4 of your favourite activities from Esplora’s Science Advent Calendar. Trust us, you’ll need them 😉
Share your creation project with us on social mediaby tagging us on social media @esploramalta #esploramalta #getcuriousgetinspired
