The need to combine fun, hands-on “play” with the mentally engaging, minds-on “work” of learning should be emphasized in professional development settings and in science methods courses. Teachers should emphasize frequently—in words that students understand—that learning is a process of active construction of understanding. Understanding requires more than being able to physically hear, pay attention to, listen to, and interpret individual words. This activity is a visual (and auditory) participatory analogy for the idea that active effort on the part of the learner is needed to decode, amplify, and make sense of external stimuli. This activity can also be part of a physical science unit on sound energy.