How do they make silly sounds in cartoons?

Sounds & Vibrations
4.7 (16078 reviews)
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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How`would`you`make
the`sound`of`rain?

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Slide Image

vibration


1 of 6

a quick movement back and forth
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sound


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vibrations that you can usually hear with your ears
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rain


3 of 6

water drops that fall from clouds
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storm


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weather that usually includes strong wind and rain or snow
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thunder


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a rumbling sound during a storm, often after a flash of lightning
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experiment


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a test used to discover new information about a question
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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
door stopper by Landee See Landee Do
door stopper noise by Daniel Ord
bike horn by theanorak
foley artist by Vancouver Film School
child watching tv by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Semmick Photo
hand drawn cartoon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: shadow216
Image from Finding Dory by Pixar Post
Ellen Degeneres behind the scenes of Finding Dory by ScreenSlam
scene from Star Wars: A New Hope by 20th Century Fox
Animation Sound Design: Ben Burtt Creates the Sounds for Wall-E (Part 1 of 2) by Joe Ludwig
scene from The Old Mill by Walt Disney Pictures
girl thinking by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: espies
cartoon storm by Khurram Dp
Activity
rain storm by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: peresanz
boy peeking through hands by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: iofoto
rainstorm sound by esh9419
rolling thunder sound by MoneySavingVideos
water dripping by Tankersley FX
wind blowing sound by copyrighy free sound effect
Credits
How do they make silly sounds in cartoons?
Sounds & Vibrations
4.7 (16078 reviews)

Featured Reviews

“The kids loved the visuals and the interactive activities. It is developmentally appropriate for my first grade students which is very important to me. Thanks for the great, fun and engaging materials! ”
· Debbie · Teacher
“The students really enjoyed all the hands on activities for the kids to make sounds. It was nice to be making noise with a purpose for a change! :)”
· Nannette · Teacher
“The use of highly engaging experience with sound was a treat for the kids. Learning about sound effects and then making sound effects was an excellent learning process, and the learning objectives were embedded very effectively!”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“The kids really loved the hands-on activity. Thank you very much for an excellent lesson.”
· Susana · Homeschooler
“The students enjoyed the lesson. The students liked the stomping part. They also enjoyed making the bouncing ball sound. They liked looking at the storm through the window. Thumbs up activity!”
· · Admin
“Loved the lesson and how it was fun and interactive. My students enjoyed making a storm and had lots of ideas on ways to could add to it!”
· Ally · Teacher
“Students loved making the rain storm and also the ruler activity. It was so easy and students were very engaged.”
· Rhonda · Teacher
“My students LOVED creating a thunderstorm. We incorporated lights to cause a lightning affect. A simple activity kept my entire class engaged and really activated their prior knowledge about sound and vibrations!”
· Catherine · Teacher
“I teach an SDC class and my eight students LOVED making the rain sounds and the 'booooiiinnng' sounds. They were SO engaged and attentive!”
· Julie · Teacher
“The children enjoyed making the noises, everyone participated, necessary materials were readily available, and they understood that the vibrations caused the sounds. ”
· · Teacher
“So developmentally appropriate for our first grade students! They were enthralled with the video AND making their own sound effects!”
· Nancy · Teacher
“The children loved all the movement activities especially the culminating one - vibrating their ruler to be sound engineers. This was a perfect way for them to deeply explore how the vibration changed when the ruler and hand placement changed.”
· Susan · Teacher
“Have the kids interact with the video. I have 10 boys and 2 girls this year. They loved moving!”
· Candy · Teacher
“The students enjoyed making the sounds with the rulers. We had a good discussion about the pitch and the differences when using a plastic ruler and a wooden ruler. The were amazed to learn that people actually get paid to make sound effects or be the voice in an animated film. I found the lesson valuable. ”
· Susan · Teacher
“Experimenting with the different vibrations of the rulers and applying it to a real world context.”
· Jenny · Teacher
“The class LOVED the video clips of cartoons/star wars real sound examples in film. I teach 1st grade and they had not ever thought about this concept before. Thanks so much!!”
· Tracy · Teacher
“The kids really seemed to get the see-through, sort of see-though, not see-through. I was even able to get them to start using the academic language.”
· Denise · Teacher
“Matching the sounds to the movement of the rain and the bouncy ball was the best part. I also loved how the video gave step by step directions to the class as they did this.”
· Annette · Teacher
“Students were actively engaged from the beginning! Used this lesson as an introduction into the unit! Great response! Highly recommend!!”
· Renee · Teacher
“Nice fun activity that is super engaging, but did not need much preparation. We even recorded our "rain" impression to see how we did.”
· Maya · Homeschooler
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students investigate vibrations as a source of sound effects for movies. In the activity, Be a Sound Effects Artist, students use their hands and feet to create a "rainstorm," and then use rulers to create a “boing” sound for a cartoon bouncy ball.
Preview activity

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

I have a Mystery Pack

Rulers
1 ruler per student
Prep Instructions

Decide on a Thunder Master (optional)

During the rainstorm activity, you may want a way to make thunder. It’s fun to add the rumble and crash of thunder and is another visible demonstration of vibration creating sound. Watch this video to see how to use the optional items to make thunder.

If you decide to add thunder to your rainstorm, decide who will be the Thunder Master, the maker of thunder. We suggest you let this person experiment before class so that they can create a great thunder sound for your rainstorm.

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

10 mins

Hands-On Activity

20 mins

Extend this lesson

Activity

Activity

Have your students try other sound effects that are favorites of sound effects artists.

  • For a chugging steam train, shake a box of macaroni and cheese in just the right rhythm.
  • For a crackling fire, crunch a package of ramen noodles or crumple a big piece of cellophane wrap.
  • For a gurgling stream, use a drinking straw to blow bubbles in a cup of water.
  • For a flying bird or bat, slap a pair of leather gloves together.

Mini-lessons

Mini-lessons

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

If you are in an NGSS state, these mini-lessons support the DCI PS4.A: Wave Properties

Transcripts

Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline:
Credits
 
Light Lesson 1: How do they make silly sounds in cartoons?

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