Mad Science Camp: The Joy of Toys!

My campers generally have a short attention span and tend to be impulsive.  All of the activities need to be short and sweet.  When we do Camp, almost every camp we make some  toys to take home. What about a day of toys?  Call the day, The Joy of Toys!  (No, I do not mean Toy box 3 D printer, despite how cool it is.  3D printing one small object takes hours.  Ask me how I know.) Want ideas?  Start here, Toys from Trash.  My kids make many flying toys.  I buy Snapcopters and Handcopters to go with Rotocopters. (Print extra pages of the template; you will need them!). Make a CD Hovercraft.

The Joy of Toys was the theme for National Chemistry Week years ago.  Scroll down here  for a few ideas, such as the Cartesian diver and Bouncy Ball.  (Here is Chemistry in the Toy Store—the links still work and the science is sound.). Science toy maker has a CD or DVD periscope, which could work for Camps if everything is prepped, groups are small, and the campers are not impulsive.  Translation: my campers have never made periscopes or boomerangs.

 We have made magnet bottles with pipe cleaners; you can make them with bingo chips or paper clips, too.  Have you tried Spin-finite tops? I buy wooden pop tops and plastic flip tops to try.  Buggy and Buddy have 20 spinning top toys to make.  How do spinning tops work?  Here is a Physics explanation.

How about a balancing toy?  I buy a balancing bird for the kids to demonstrate center of gravity.  Here is a bag of balancing birds.  I also buy flipping frogs for the kids to take home as small favors.  Often, one of the teens makes origami paper jumping frogs for the kids.  (We tried origami with a big group at VBS once.  One time.  Period.). I have set up a balancing nail demo for the kids to try.  I keep a few demo toys, such as the Poly Density Bottle or the Air Zooka out for the kids to play with, but not take home because they are too expensive to buy one for everyone.

We made science toys everyday for a week one time at Mad Science Camp; but, it’s more fun to make toys one or two days.  Won’t your kids have a blast?  Ask them to figure out how the toys work.  They may not realize they’re doing science.  You’ll know when a toy is fun when the child asks you if they can take it home.  You should see the mom’s face when the child raves over the hanger she brings home to demo Head Harps or Secret Bells.

Science Camp: Joy of Toys!

Update: I’m adding to the plans whenever I think of another idea, such as Seek and Find Bottles.  The plans in the spreadsheet are a work in progress.

One of my favorite Camp themes is the Joy of Toys.  There are loads of science toys who can make.  I usually have a big mix of fun activities with inexpensive toys, such as mini-copters and balancing birds.  Here is the link with plans and loads of activities.  Joy of Toys was the theme for National Chemistry Week.  Here is the page with electronic resources, many of which are still live: Science Toy Maker, Creative Chemistry, and Chymist.  Celebrating Chemistry: The Joy of Toys has plans for Air Rockets, Zippy, Zappy Boats, It’s a Gas, Cartesian divers and Bouncing Ball.  Here are science toys from Flinn and Educational Innovations to use for more ideas.  

The plans have a $250 budget for 25 children.  The budget should give you an idea about supplies needed for Camp.  Start saving recycling materials.   You’ll need yogurt cups to mix experiments, bottles (1 or 2 liter bottles work well.) for Cartesian divers and vortex tubes, recycled containers (#6) for shrinky dinks, paper rolls, styrofoam plates, cups, jars for snow globes, plastic bags (to send home materials), CDs or DVDs for spinners, etc.  (Ask the thrift store to save CDs for you.). This camp requires household goods such as shaving cream, tape, straws, and toothpicks.  Start looking at the activities to see what you need, such as tennis balls or 35 mm film cartridges for the Alka-Seltzer rockets. See what you have on hand, such as scrap wood to make balance boards or stomp catapults.  Have a blast!  This is going to be the best summer yet! 

Mad Science Camp: Joy of Toys

BTW, the pix below are a few I saved to my Pinterest board, Mad Science.  Take a look.

We are all staring down at least another month of summer before we resume school.  Okay, our little household does School all summer; we need the structure!  One camp idea is Joy of Toys!  This theme is one of my favorites.  Yes!  We made toys!  One toy was Pool Noodle Balance Board.  Ours were made with a board and pvc pipe.  Another favorite is Stomp Catapult.  Plan to use several hammers to pound the block on to the length of wood.  Kids can decorate the boards and catapults with paint, markers, or duct tape.  (These are pricy projects for a big camp.  I had a family who managed a construction company donate the supplies.). Another popular toy is the pvc marshmallow gun—especially if you can source the pvc for a reasonable price.  I buy bags of connectors at Lowe’s.  Joy of Toys means lots of toys: CD Spinners, Floppy Disk Boxes, Tornado Tube Bottles, Cartesian Divers, Sidewalk Chalk (Mix it in plastic three ounce cups.), Slime, Kinetic Sand, Ghost Crystals, I Spy Bottles, Magnetic Bottles, Pringle’s Pinhole Cameras, Lava Lamps, Paper Building blocks, Building Discs, and more!  Some of these toys are more craft than science.  I’m not strict.  Kids learn to associate science with fun.  Bring on the toys!  I found a few photos from Camp at our church.  Did I mention Ice Cream?

Mad Science Camp: The Joy of Toys!

 Next June, I’m doing another week-long science camp.  We used many of my better science experiments at Science Camp last June.  Next June, one morning’s theme is the Joy of Toys.  We’re making toys with some science: Zoetropes, Kaleidoscopes, 3D Hologram, and Flipsticks, optical illusions.  I have a box of optical illusion supplies: Rubbing plates, Magic Eye books, Card deck, Mirascope, and Disappearing Beaker.  We use these supplies for Physics, Science Camp, and outreach programs.  (Here are instructions to make your own disappearing beaker.  See if the cooking oil you have on hand works before you buy canola oil.)  

We’ll make Take Home Stem kits, using Arvin’s Gupta’s Toys from Trash, including Flying Toys and this Ball shooter.  Speaking of shooters, Frugal Fun’s Marshmallow gun, made from PVC pipes is easy to build.  Cut the pipe ahead for younger kiddos.  Frugal Fun has a Scrap Wood Rubberband Shooter, too.  If you have scrap wood, make these Stomp Catapults.  (You may want to let them catapult balls instead of blocks of wood.) When I host Camp, I have the wood pre-cut to save time.  Borrow many hammers.  Scavenge extra PVC and scrap wood to make Balance Boards.  We have made simple balance boards with scrap wood, PVC pipe, or a length of a pool noodle.  The kids decorated their boards with washi tape.  If you feel brave, let the kids hydro-dip the boards—ideally outside.  Below is a photo from Camp when the kids made floppy disk boxes.  Are they really toys?  They were fun!  Start saving Pringles can, floppy disks, CDs, and scrap wood.

Friday Fun Day: Toys!

 Who doesn’t love toys?  I’ve planned entire science camps around the joy of toys!  Are you familiar with the website, Toys from Trash?  It has ideas for days, such as Craft stick ‘bombs’,  These toys  tend to be more sciency.

1. Years ago, ACS celebrated The Joy of Toys.  This publication has plans for an air rocket, boat, inflating a balloon, Cartesian diver, shrinky dinks,  super bubbles, and a bouncy ball.

2. Make your own play dough or snow fluff.  We like to compare homemade dough to commercial play doh.  Try magnetic slime or many variations.

3. Make a glitter Snow Globe or a Benzoic Acid Blizzard in a Bottle.  Another classic toy is a Lava Lamp.

4. Build catapults: Water Balloon Launcher, LEGO Catapult, or classic, craft stick catapults.  

6.  Make an I Spy Bottle.  If you add pipe cleaners, they are magnetic. Kiddos like to both make and use these bottles. 

7. Make sidewalk chalk to make 3D Chalk Art.  If you can find these sets, the gasses work very well.

8. Kids also like the Bee Hummer Toy, Pringles Pinhole Camera, Head Harp,  Secret Bells,  and Remote Control Roller.   We’ve made all of these simple toys at Camp.  

9. Make a balance toy or try to Balance Nails. (The nails should have a large head.) The classic balancing toy is the Sky Hook.  Make a Balancing Bird.  These are always popular toys.  

10. Make Spinning Tops.  I like to buy Tippe Tops.  Now I need to order a few toys for science camp!

Instant Science Lessons: Science Toys!

 I love toys!  They can teach, too!  Let’s put together some instant lessons with science toys. These articles, ‘The Joy of Toys’, Chemecology, and ‘‘The History of Toys’ offer a bit of background. Here  are several toy recipes.  I tried to combine a fun lab or activity with an article and video.  So many toys!  So many lessons!  So much fun!   

Magic Sand: Here is a Magic Sand lab lesson.  Here is a very old ChemMatters article about Magic Sand.  Below is a Mystic Sand video from Flinn.  Mystic sand and Magic Sand are the same.

Instant Snow:  There are many, many brands of Instant Snow.  Here is a lab lesson.  This article about artificial snow is more related to snow than polymer snow.  It’s still interesting.  

Drinking Bird:  The Amazing Drinking Bird has both an article and an activity.  

Hand Boiler: Here are several ideas to try with the toy.  Teaching with Toys explains both the Drinking Bird and the Hand Boiler-two toys with very short half-lives in any classroom.

Color Change Toys: The color changing duck contains thermochromic ink, ink which changes colors at different temperatures.  Buy a toy; there is no easy thermochromic experiement.

Grow Creatures: Here is a Growing Toys lab. We like to use water beads.  HST Water Beads has project ideas.

Mystical Tree:  You can copy this toy with Crystal Trees and Gardens.  Here is the original recipe with an explanation.  The crystals grow in a few days.  

Shrinky Dinks: These are #6 plastic.  Here are instructions.

Silly Putty:  Here is an easy to do DIY version of silly putty. Read all about The Science of Slime and watch this adorable video.

Self-Inflating Balloons: Here and here, and here are ACS lab lessons about self-inflating balloons with a video.  They have similar content; one version is much more detailed; another is a presenter’s guide for demos.

Density Bottles:  I had to order another Poly Density Bottle. Mine disappeared.  I use the bottle to ask teens to explain why they separate and finally settle in the middle.  It’s my intro to density.  Here and here are DIY versions of the density bottle. The white beads are UV beads, with a different density than ordinary pony beads.  What even more?  Here is an ACS article, ‘The Dynamic Density Bottle.’  It is a deep dive into the Density Bottle.  

Magic Rocks: Make Your Own Magic Rocks is expensive to make.  Trust me I’ve priced this experiment.  The rocks are salts in sodium silicate solution, also called water glass.  MEL Artificial Sea Chemistry Kit has sodium silicate solution. Just buy a Magic Rocks or Artificial Sea kit unless you happen to have the required chloride salts.

The Diving Submarine and Squidy are still available.  Here is Educational Innovations’ website with a description, explanation, and a video.

Squidy, above, is a Cartesian Diver.  Make an ACS Cartesian Diver or a Steve Spangler Diving Ketchup diver.  Both have mini lessons with explanations.

 

The Joy of Toys!

 One of my favorite themes for Science Camp is the Joy of Toys.  Here is a spreadsheet with links for several DIY science toys to make.  Educational Innovations is another source for Science Lessons with toys, such as Cartesian divers.  There are over 100 lessons which correlate to their products.  Compare prices for the toys and gadgets at Educational Innovations with Amazon, Walmart, Dollar Tree,  and Temu.  Nothing beats toys for fun lessons!  

More Instant Science Lessons

What are some more ideas for instant science lessons?  This is an important topic.  Our Co-op is Catholic; our families tend to be larger.  Emergencies crop up all the time. Put your Ecotank to work and print out articles and book-mark videos.  Create a Google Drive folder to house the related experiments for dreary, rainy days or Friday Fun Day.  I’m shopping for high-interest topics because kiddos are usually more willing to read these articles and watch related videos independently—key when you’re trying to mop up water from an over-flowing washer or busy spending a week potty-training.

NASA: 24 STEM Lessons are hands-on, such as this paper helicopter.  Put the template in the emergency plans folder. The student project has video instructions.  The teacher’s lesson has a Mars Helicopter videos and questions. Learning to Fly is a related article to print.  (Yes, my Ecotank does get a work-out.). STEM Aeronautics has more articles with activities; look over Four Forces. (Here is a two-minute video.). Teach STEM has a Pi Day Collection.

ACS: Articles for Kids is a collection for 4th—6th graders.  Print Bubbleology.  File away the Exploratorium’s Bubble Science Snack with the Watch and Do Video.  Another fun article is The Joy of Toys.  Toys from Trash has loads of videos.  (Search YouTube, too.)  Chemistry in the Toy Store and other links are a trove of science articles about toys for teens. Print a few articles from this ChemMatters issue, Oh! The Joy of Toys! for teens. Find The Hidden Objects is ideal for elementary-level kiddos.  I adore toys!  

IOP: Physics for Families has some excellent ideas, such as Superheroes Unlimited; there are mainly activities and interviews, great for a day when your toddler isn’t cutting herself bangs.  Print the word search.  IOP has story books: Mimi’s Tiny Adventure, Mimi’s Space Adventure, Mimi’s Rainbow Adventure, (Big Earth is coming this summer.)  These are British books.  Your kiddos might ask what trainers are.  Look at this Tiny Adventure teacher guide for video answers to Mimi’s questions.  Save the Thaumatrope for a day when dad is working remotely and can help.

Are you sure I can host a science camp?

I have had loads of experience hosting science camps, VBS, and various outreach events. In another life, I told teens to the local elementary school and spent the morning leading 150 kindergarten students through a dozen experiments.  But, many people are intimidated by the idea of planning an entire camp.  Let me share a few more tips.

1.  Don’t go it alone.  Enlist a team.  Our church in WV had a home-school Co-op which met for math and science.  Our church also hosted two Head Start classes in the Knights’ building behind the church.  The kids in the Co-op science classes helped plan quarterly outreach events.  We led 24 four year olds through five rotating stations.  There were ten kids helping, with the Head Start teachers on stand-by.  I don’t lead a station at events; instead I trouble-shoot to make sure things are moving along.  I always need help.  Ideally, I recruit adult help.  However teen help is often more available.  My husband partners in nearly all of these events.

2.  Create a team of moms.  Is this your first time trying to host a science camp?  Get a few mom friends together.  Go over the activities.  Have a list of materials required.  See who already has some of the materials.  Ask each mom to help with camp and lead an activity. 

3. Keep Camp limited the first time.  Do a few trials.  Right now I’m constrained by space.  I’m limiting Science Camp to ten kids because we’re using my basement and backyard. Try a morning of science or a one day camp.  This will help you gauge how long activities take.  BTW many times you need more activities than you expect.  

4. Prep with your volunteers.  Encourage volunteers to arrive 15 minutes early.  For me that means having the teens over to review all of the activities. I show them where supplies are.  Ideally we make samples: Cartesian diver, vortex tube, etc.  The kids know to help themselves to supplies. Each morning we make sure we have everything ready.  Volunteers stay to help clean up and sort supplies each day after Camp.

5. How old are your campers?  I’m comfortable having kids ages 4–12 as campers.   Usually kids ten and up are teen helpers.  It depends on the child’s leadership qualities.  In one case, Pia, eight led kids in her group who were ten and eleven who just wanted to participate.  The first time, it’s prudent to target kids ages five to ten.  Children under five might not be ready.

Try it!  You and two other families try a morning of science.  Pop a bowl of popcorn for Snack.  Look over Joy of Toys.  See what you have on hand and do those activities.  Get feed-back from the moms and kids.  What worked?  What was just too hard?  Use this experience to boost your confidence.  

The Joy of Toys

 I bought a bunch of toys for my husband, Rob, for his Physics class and for Christmas.  This week, I’ll post a series of quick videos about different toys.  Fun, right?

Here are some of my favorite sites for experiments!

 When I need ideas, there are several reliable sources of engaging experiments, which do not cost a fortune.  I need to site Lessons from Educational Innovations.  These lessons have ideas for their products, such as The Drinking Bird—really sound ideas.  Below are my favorite websites.

1. Science Bob’s Experiments come with images, videos, instructions, and explanations for simple experiments such as The Exploding Lunch Bag.  His homepage is obsessed with Elephant’s Toothpaste.  (BTW, the kiddo version of Elephant’s Toothpaste requires 3% hydrogen peroxide and yeast.  The explosive version requires fresh 30% hydrogen and sodium iodide, a catalyst.  You should only do the second version if you have experience with chemicals.)

2. Another celebrity scientist is Steve Spangler.  His site is full of familiar and imaginative experiments, such as the Balancing Hex Nut Challenge.  I have to try this for Maker Camp.  I’m going to be busy in May.  My husband, Rob, likes to have a model for every experiment.

3. Toys from Trash literally shows how to make toys from trash, such as the Pencil Spinner.  Be sure to look at the Free Films.  I stumbled upon Arvind Gupta’s website years ago when I was planning the first Joy of Toys science camps.  It doesn’t disappoint.

4. Another winner is Frugal Fun.  Sarah Dees has organized her webpage into categories: Summer, LEGO,  STEM, etc. Try the STEM Challenges.

5. Exploratorium’s Tools for Teaching and Learning has Watch and Do Science, Tinkering Projects, and Science Snacks.  Below are used books.  My favorites are The Science Explorer, The Science Explorer, Out and About, and The Explorabook.

Last day of Science Camp: Joy of Toys!

 After I broke my arm this summer, I promised the kids one more day of Science Camp.  Okay, the Find-it bottles aren’t  science; they are fun toys to make.  I’m not strict about camp.  Just add a few science stickers or small animal toys.  What did we do?  We made Bee Hummers, DIY ‘I Spy’ Bottles, did Dancing Raisins, tested soda pop several ways (with the kit shown below), made Roto-copters, made Bubble Blowers with a Giant Bubble recipe, crushed cans, and played with toys!  I bought jumping frogs, balancing birds, flyers, spinners, stickers, and decals.  We didn’t have time to Inflate Balloons or do Double Ball Drop. This time I didn’t trip over the crate and break my arm.  Five kiddos and a teen were able to come today.  It was perfect!  We sang Herman the Worm and Tom the Toad.  The kids played as long as they wanted with each experiment.  What a wonderful morning.

 

Science Camp: Optical Illusions

 My mind is fixed on camps.  I’m in the middle of planning at least four weeks of camp—maybe even one more.  Our theme for Science Camp is the Joy of Toys.  One morning, our focus is on optical illusions.  Here are templates for the first optical illusion, CD Spinners, a camp favorite.  (Ask the local thrift store to save CDs or DVDs.). Next is Flipsticks and templates.  Flipsticks are actually thaumatropes.  Here is a template for one using string instead of using a pencil or straw.  I have a set of optical illusion rubbing plates, deck of cards, and Magic Eye books.  Have you tried Flinn’s Disappearing Beaker?  How about Ghost Crystals?  These two demos are both Discrepancy Events.  Try the Reversing Arrow, Persistence of Vision, and Whirling Watcher, a Stroboscope.  Finally, the kids play with Parabolas (Mirascope) and shrinking coin bank.  Theoretically, you have about 2 1/2 hours of camp activities.  However, some kids run through these activities quickly.  I’ve had other kids spend the entire morning making CD spinners.  Have extra projects set aside, such as growing spheres. Usually, I start with the optical illusion rubbing plates as Start-up and allow 10-15 minutes for each experiment.   Start with the paper crafts first.  Keep the Mirascope and Shrinking coin bank for last.  Your camp is going to be great!

 

Science Stuff at Hobby Lobby!

I didn’t know Hobby Lobby had science toys.  Next summer, we’re doing the Joy of Toys as part of Science Camp.  Right now, Hobby Lobby has free shipping for orders greater than $50.  Below are some science toys available.  Who knew?  Well, if you have a store near your house, you might already know.  My husband sets a limit of ten minutes in any craft store.   I don’t get to browse.

 

The Joy of Toys: Balancing Birds

Balancing Bird toys demonstrate the center of gravity or the center of mass.  Here are several fun Center of Mass demos to try as a family.  Kids love to balance the bird on their fingers and noses.  

Mad Science Camp: Chemistry Themes and Marvelous Metals

Where do you get ideas?  One reliable source for Camp themes is from The American Chemical Society (ACS): National Chemistry Week Themes.  Remember I am a Chemistry teacher.  I am always looking for new ways to make Chemistry more fun.  It happens the ACS themes, such as Get Cooking with Chemistry, The Joy of Toys, or Chemistry Rocks make great Camp themes.  Once you have a theme, you can scroll down page after. page in Pinterest for activities.

Let’s see how a theme, Marvelous Metals, (Packet is here.) becomes a morning of Camp.  First, I want a few activities as Start-up: Water Drops on a Penny, Metals and Magnetism. and Magnetic Paperclip Chain.  Kids do these activities while they wait for everyone to arrive. (At Camp, I have a few kids waiting for me when I arrive at 7:30.). Since we have pennies out, let’s clean pennies and Float a Metal Boat. Bring hundreds of pennies.

I would set up a Floating Ring Magnet Set, Eddy Currents, a Disappearing Coin Bank, and Cold Metal on a side table for the kids to explore as time permits.

We need activities: Steel Wool and Vinegar, Microscopes and Money (Look for the security strip.  Is it metallic?), Coin Drop, Stay Put Coins,  Colorful Coins, Spinning Penny, Roll a Can with Static Electricity, and Engineer a Coin Sorter.

Have a teen try to make this Magnetic Coin Spinner in advance to demonstrate.  What else?  Make Bubble Wands with metal washers and make washer necklaces or car nut photo frames. 


Marvelous Metals  includes very disparate activities.  Just think of all the areas of science!  I am sure at least one of these metallic activities will captivate your kids.

The Joy of Toys: Poppers

 Toys are terrific ways to teach Physics or Physical Science.  I bought several toys for my husband, Rob, for Christmas, including Dropper Popper.  Wear your safety glasses!  Here is Educational Innovation’s blog post about teaching Energy with balls and dropper poppers.  It’s a great way to compare the kinetic energy between a ball and a popper.  Be careful not to hover over the popper when it launches.  Below is a quick video we made.  The blog post has a video, too.  When I use popper for Camp, I buy a gross of  mini poppers for the kids to play with and keep—much safer than the big poppers.  Invariably the kids press them on their foreheads.  It leaves a mark.

Family Science: Bouncing with Momentum

 First up is Bouncing with Momentum, which uses a mini basketball and a ping pong ball.  Try pairing a Basketball and Tennis ball, also called Rocket Balls.  Try different Ball Combinations.  These demonstrate elastic collisions and momentum.  Try to put a small bouncy ball on top of a tennis ball and drop them at the same time.  My favorite is the Astroblaster from Educational Innovations—where I first saw the toy.  Rocket Balls are usually part of The Joy of Toys Science Camp.  It’s best to do Rocket Balls inside in an open place rather than outside where you are apt to lose bitty balls.  The kids lose bitty bouncy balls inside, too.  I buy a gross of bouncy balls for Camp to save wailing and gnashing of teeth over a bitty ball.

 

Mad Science Camp!

 Two years ago I mapped out Mad Science Camp for a local group of ten year olds.  Then COVID hit.  Our community was completely locked down for months.  My friend, Jen, asked about reviving Science Camp.  We picked a week in June.  I’m in the process of revising all my materials. (Here is a post about planning your own science camp.  I’m hitting my basement next!). The kids are two years older. Too many of my plans work well for younger kids—not pre-teens.  (Here is the blog post about the Joy of Toys! camp theme with links for younger kids.). Here is the spreadsheet with notes.  Be patient!  This spreadsheet is being revised all the time!  I’m looking for Middle School Challenges which are fun.  A few of the little girls are six or seven.  My plan is to have fun activities, like Rotocopters, for the girls to do while the older kids work on an extended project, such as paper marble roller coasters.  

My husband, Rob, and I landed on Chemistry and Physics for the theme.  We consider projects from vastly different perspectives.  I looked at Marble Roller Coasters and thought about the materials and time required.  I want to see if the kids think the idea is fun.  My husband, Rob, studies the activity and considers the underlying Physics lesson—which isn’t even on my radar.  If the topic is Physics, I assume Rob can handle the science.  Truthfully, my science answers depend on the child.  I tell kids optical illusions trick your brain.  Period.  I’ll be updating the lists on the spreadsheet.  No, we won’t do every experiment.  The list is longer than one week.  I never know how long kids will spend on a given activity or project.  I want to be ready!

Science Camp: The Joy of Toys—I Spy Bottle!

 Remember when I told you I’m not strict about Science Camp?  I just added another idea, I Spy Bottles to my plans.  I led a science camp years ago in which the kids made simple I Spy bottles.  What a hit!  Any plastic water bottle and small objects work.  For an anatomy theme, have the kids make tiny organs with polymer clay.  You can use stickers or beads.  I have small science toys, such as tops and jumping frogs to add.  (The bottle will store the tiny toys until the kids get home, too.). When we made the I Spy bottles the first time, I used bird seed (without nuts or peanuts).  You could use plain or colored rice, too.  Fill the bottle with bird seed, add the objects, and shake to distribute them.  Optionally, tape on a key to the objects.