The study of forces and motion provides a great opportunity to play with toys! Balloon cars, wind-up toys, and more make this one of our most playful science units. Check out some of our activities below.
Wind-Up Toys: To learn about speed and velocity, each student adopted a wind-up toy. They measured the distance traveled and recorded the time with a stopwatch, using this to calculate the average speed of their toy. But direction matters, too--that's the difference between speed and velocity. Some of these toys liked to travel in different directions, which made them less than ideal competitors when we lined everyone up for a race!
Balloon Cars: Sure, these balloon car kits came with building instructions. But where's the fun in that? Our students took the pieces, added other pieces, and designed their own unique balloon cars, using the design, test, and redesign process to perfect their cars. They also got to experience Newton's Laws of Motion in action.
Friction Lab: The friction lab introduced students to the spring scale and the opportunity to measure forces using Newtons. The goal? Use items around the classroom to increase, then decrease, the amount of force needed to pull a wooden block.
