• Levitating Lantern

    1. Grades 6-8

    $29.954.8

    Balance tension and gravity to make an "impossible" floating lamp! Build a lantern that floats above its base with the help of tension and rubber bands. Learn the science behind how it floats and engineer an electric circuit to make the lamp glow, then test the levitation with a series of “tricks” that are sure to impress!

    Academic Standards

    1. 5-PS2-1: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

    Why it’s awesome

    1. "Impossible" levitation

      Explore how physics and opposing forces help this lantern float.

    2. Glow in color

      Customize the lantern’s shade colors for a unique glow.

    3. Surprisingly sturdy

      Lift and turn your lantern without breaking the levitation illusion.

    What’s included?

    • 6 lantern pieces

    • 2 arms

    • stand base

    • 2 sticky foam sheets

    • 5 cords

    • 17 rubber rings

    • paper sheet set

    • battery pack

    • LED strip

    • switch

    • sticker sheet

    • 8 cord spacers

    • illustrated instruction booklet

    Topics explored

    1. Floating illusions

    2. Science of tension

    3. Hands-on electronics

    Additional details

    From the desk of the product designer:

    Behind the design

    “What's cooler than building and customizing your own lantern? Making it float! I decided to use transparent rings to mimic how magicians create floating illusions — the harder the rings are to see, the more magical the illusion looks! ”

    - KiwiCo Product Designer

    By the numbers

    15

    Lantern prototypes built

    10

    Shades styles tested

    many

    O-rings accidentally fired across the workshop

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