This activity demonstrates how tendons work in the human hand by creating a cardboard model where strings act like tendons and beads simulate finger control. Pulling the strings bends the cardboard fingers, showing how muscles and tendons work together to create movement.

1. Trace your hand on cardboard and cut out the shape.
2. Cut drinking straws into small pieces (about 1 inch each).
3. Tape the straw pieces onto the cardboard fingers.
4. Crease the cardboard between straw sections to form joints.
5. Cut five 12-inch pieces of yarn and tie a bead to the end of each.
6. Thread each yarn piece through the straws, starting at the fingertips and ending at the palm.
7. Pull on the strings to curl the fingers, simulating hand movements.

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📄 DIY Robot Hand - Science Buff: https://www.sciencebuff.org/scienceactivity/diy-robot-hand/

• Try using different sizes of straws or yarn to see how finger motion changes.
• Create a larger version using poster board for a classroom demonstration.
• Attach the strings to a cardboard wrist or forearm extension to make the model more realistic.

• Use scissors carefully when cutting cardboard and straws.

• Why don’t fingers have muscles inside them? (They rely on tendons connected to muscles in the forearm.)
• What part of the model represents the tendons? (The yarn.)
• What happens in your real hand when you let go of a string in the model? (The tendon relaxes and the finger straightens.)
• Can you find tendons in other parts of your body? (Yes, such as in the ankle or knee.)