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PlayOwl

Explore · Wonder · Discover

How Things Work

Ever wondered how airplanes fly, why popcorn pops or how your heart pumps? Pick a question, then watch it, look inside, try it, solve a challenge and go deeper. Every topic changes for Preschool, Elementary and Middle school.

  1. 1Watch it
  2. 2Look inside
  3. 3Try it
  4. 4Solve a challenge
  5. 5Go deeper

500 topics to explore · showing 25–48

Every topic

#25 Food & farming How is cheese made? Watch milk form curds, separate curds from whey, and explore pressing and aging. Compare the production stages of fresh and aged cheeses. #26 Food & farming How is flour made from wheat? Follow grain through cleaning, grinding, and sifting. Look inside a wheat kernel and compare how whole-wheat and white flour are produced. #27 Food & farming How is pasta made? Mix dough, roll or push it through different shapes, and explore drying and cooking. Create a pasta shape and watch how it changes. #28 Food & farming How does canned food stay fresh? Follow a factory's preparation, filling, sealing, and heat-treatment stages. Explore how processing and sealed packaging help preserve food. #29 Food & farming How do greenhouses help plants grow? Manage sunlight, ventilation, temperature, and water in a virtual greenhouse. Grow a crop while responding to changing outdoor conditions. #30 Food & farming How does a combine harvester work? Look inside the machine as it cuts a crop, separates grain, and stores it. Drive across a field and follow the material's journey. #31 Everyday machines How does a refrigerator keep food cold? Explore a transparent refrigerator and follow heat moving from the food compartment into the room. Open its door and observe what changes. #32 Everyday machines How does a washing machine clean clothes? Load virtual laundry and watch the wash, rinse, drain, and spin stages. Look inside the drum and explore the roles of water, detergent, and movement. #33 Everyday machines How does a vacuum cleaner pick up dirt? Follow moving air and dust through the nozzle, filter, and collection bin. Compare airflow with a clean filter and a clogged filter. #34 Everyday machines How does a toilet flush? Press the handle on a cutaway toilet. Follow water from the tank through the bowl and waste pipe, then watch the tank refill. #35 Everyday machines How does a zipper work? Pull an oversized zipper slowly and watch the slider join or separate its teeth. Explore why alignment matters and what happens when fabric gets caught. #36 Everyday machines How do keys open locks? Look inside a simplified pin-tumbler lock. Match a key's shape to the pins and watch how correct alignment allows the lock to turn. #37 Everyday machines How does a pendulum clock keep time? Explore the pendulum, gears, hands, and controlled release of stored energy. Change the pendulum's length and observe how the clock's rhythm changes. #38 Everyday machines How does a sewing machine make stitches? Watch the needle, upper thread, and bobbin mechanism in slow motion. Join pieces of virtual fabric and compare stitch lengths and patterns. #39 Everyday machines How does a dishwasher clean dishes? Look inside during washing, rinsing, and drying. Follow water through rotating spray arms and arrange dishes so the spray can reach them. #40 Everyday machines How does a microwave heat food? View a simplified animation of microwaves transferring energy to food. Explore uneven heating patterns and investigate how a rotating plate helps. #41 Electricity & energy How does electricity turn on a light? Build virtual circuits using batteries, wires, switches, and bulbs. Find breaks in a circuit and compare simple series and parallel arrangements. #42 Electricity & energy How do batteries power things? Look inside a simplified battery and explore chemical energy becoming electrical energy. Connect different devices and compare how quickly they use its stored energy. #43 Electricity & energy How do solar panels make electricity? Explore a solar cell and follow sunlight becoming electrical energy. Adjust shade, panel direction, and time of day while watching output change. #44 Electricity & energy How do wind turbines make electricity? Follow wind turning the blades and driving a generator. Explore the inside of a turbine and power a model village under different wind conditions. #45 Electricity & energy How do electric motors make things move? Explore magnets, coils, and a turning shaft in a simplified motor. Use it to drive a fan, toy car, or conveyor belt. #46 Electricity & energy How do generators make electricity? Move magnets and coils in a simulation to explore electricity generation. Turn a virtual hand crank and compare how connected devices respond. #47 Electricity & energy How does electricity reach our homes? Follow electricity through generators, substations, power lines, and neighborhood connections. Connect a model town and restore power after a simulated fault. #48 Electricity & energy How does flowing water generate electricity? Guide water through a hydroelectric turbine and generator. Adjust water flow and height in a simplified model and compare electricity output.

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