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Make a Paper-Cup Stethoscope

Ages 5+ with an adult15 minutesMess: Low
Grown-ups: please supervise this experiment the whole time. Read the safety notes first.

Build a simple listening tube from a kitchen-roll tube and two paper cups, then hear a heartbeat.

WOW FACT

The very first stethoscope, invented by French doctor René Laennec in 1816, was just a rolled-up tube of paper, very like the one you've made.

🧰 What you'll need

A kitchen-roll tubeOr rolled-up paper and tape.
✔ You probably have this
2 paper cupsAny paper cups will do.
✔ You probably have this
Sticky tapeFrom the drawer.
✔ You probably have this
Child-safe scissorsAn adult helps with the cutting.
✔ You probably have this
A timer or phone stopwatchFor counting heartbeats.
✔ You probably have this

✨ Want to go further? (optional)

Toy stethoscope that really worksHear heartbeats more clearly and play doctor.
View on Amazon (amazon.co.uk)
Kids' human body science kitBuild a model and learn how the body works.
View on Amazon (amazon.co.uk)
Children's human body bookFind out what your heart, lungs and brain do.
View on Amazon (amazon.co.uk)

💛 We may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. We only suggest things we'd use ourselves. How this works.

What to do

  1. An adult cuts the bottoms out of the two paper cups.
  2. Tape one cup to each end of the tube, wide end facing out.
  3. Sit quietly. Place one cup on a partner's chest and your ear to the other cup.
  4. Listen for the heartbeat. Count beats for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4.
  5. Do 20 star jumps, then count again. What changed?
  6. Swap over so everyone has a go.

What's going on?

The tube carries sound waves from the chest to your ear and cuts out some of the noise around you, so the heartbeat is easier to hear. After exercise your muscles need more oxygen, so your heart beats faster to pump more blood.

Safety notes