mini Pulley

materials:

empty thread spool

string

2 cups

pencil

tape

Kids construct a miniature pulley and discover how wheels can help reduce friction! Students keep one cup on the ground and have the other cup suspended in the air (both attached to the pulley). They place 20 pennies in the cup on the ground. Then, they place a few pennies at a time into the other cup. How many pennies are needed to raise the cup off the ground?

Then, they remove the thread spool. They place the string connecting the cups over the pencil. They do the same experiment above (20 pennies to one cup and add a few at a time to the other). How many pennies are needed to lift the cup off the ground?

 Kids "compare the number of pennies needed to raise the cup with and without the rotating spool." Visit Education.com for more details (experiment called SHOWTIME from Janice VanCleave's book Machines for kids)!

Construction:

tape two 6 inch pieces of string to a table

insert a pencil into an empty thread spool

attach the pencil to the hanging string

cut a long piece of string (depends on height of table) and attach to both cups

Matter Race

Give each child a sandwich baggie with an ice cube in it. Kids race to melt the ice cube in the bag, transforming their solid into a liquid. Once they have a liquid, the teacher adds a piece of an alka seltzer tablet to their bag - presto: gas (their bag will expand and the contents in their bag will fizz and bubble)! Math - Estimate how long they think it will take them to melt their cube.

Above is a recording sheet for students to use as they are melting their ice cube. Click here to download! Click here for a checklist to assess your students. Also, check out Bag Bomb!

Friction!

Featured Above:
Bottled Rice Experiment with a Pencil - Jameson's Lab
Tin Can, Marbles, and Clay - Thinking Fountain
Genie in a Bottle - Steve Spangler
Sandpaper Ramps - Lights, Camera, Learn!
Climbing Man - Science Toy Maker or Housing a Forest
Phone Book Friction + Floating Paper Air Friction, Salt / Marble Trick, Sticks, and MORE! - Cocopreme

Artful Science

Fun art projects aren't just for preschoolers! The activities featured below all relate to the common core. Plus, kids can take their science experiment home to hang on the fridge!

1. Explore force, energy, and motion with artful physics!

Featured Above:

Inclined Plane Painting (Ramps) - BIA SFClubhouse

Marbles in Motion (Gravity, Energy, Inclined Plane) - Harris County Public Library 

Snap Art (Force, Potential vs. Kinetic Energy) - Capital B

2. Learn about solids, liquids, and gases with artful matter! 

Featured Above (From left to right):

Liquids to Solids 
1. Color Changing Glue Art - School at St. George Place
2. Plastic Milk - Science Bob
3. Colored Glue Drawings - Art with Mrs. Smith

Solids to Liquids

1. Paint with watercolor and watch a solid transform into a liquid!

2. Ice Cube Painting - CertaPro

Air, It's There!

1. Straw Blowing Art - Robert Burridge and Kaplan (pictured)

2. Bubble Prints - Family Fun

Liquids and Solids

1. Magic Salt Painting - Spoonful

Liquid Bliss

Paper Towel Fusion (not pictured) - Sprout 'n' Wings

More Artful Science
Play with precipitation: Water Cycle Rain Art - Terra Savvy
Explore Magnetism with Magnetic Art - BIA SFClubhouse

S.T.E.M.

1. S.T.E.M. Sites:
eGFI - great site for S.T.E.M. resources for the classroom. Click "teachers" link for projects
EIA Energy Kids - lots of cool science experiments and printable lesson plans in pdf format
I-STEM Resource Network - numerous lesson plans, experiments, and activities for elementary

PBS Kids Design Squad Nation -  teacher resources for S.T.E.M. activities. The site includes electricity, force / energy, simple machines, and many more categories that can tie into your Project Based Learning lesson plans.

Click here for Urban Design projects: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dOUdmDhYxbrTVDiddMi-siVFqbsQCk22/view?usp=sharing

Explore angles, gravity, and friction by making your own Zip Line with Design Squad Nation:



3. The Math Lab explored gravity by creating a bungee cord for Barbie dolls to go on a thrilling adventure! This is a great activity for students to use their measuring skills. Through trial and error, they determine the best length for the cord (made of rubberbands).

barbie head photo credit: Tracheotomy Bob - flickr cc

4. Mrs. Davis, from Birmingham k12, had her class build "Out of this World Vehicles!" Students pretended that they were engineers and designed / constructed a lunar vehicle that could carry lunar rocks (wooden blocks) for a specific distance and timeframe. Check out the lesson plan here! Also, take a look at Mrs. Bushnell's 4th Grade's design / motion challenge (featured below) and Drew's Animals' rover!

photo credit: Mrs. Bushnell's 4th Grade

Physics Magic!

Explore Inertia, Newton's First Law of Motion: "An object at rest will stay at rest unless an outside force acts upon it.  An object that is moving, will stay moving until something stops it."  with 3 magical science experiments!

1. Knock the bottom coin out of a coin tower, without it toppling over! You can use a playing card, spatula, or even flick it out with your fingers! Visit Zoom and Yahoo Voices for this experiment, as well as a whole list of activities all about inertia, friction, force, and motion!

2. Conduct the coin drop trick! With the flick of your fingers, get coins to drop in a cup! Visit Steve Spangler for instructions and a how to video.

3. Amaze your friends with your swift moves! Can you whip a table cloth off a table filled with dishes, without disturbing one item? Visit Steve Spangler for instructions.

photo via ssrsbstaff

4. Play around with inertia rings and a coin! You get different results depending on where you hit the ring. If you hit the inside, the coin will fall inside the cup. Knock the outside of the ring and the coin will go across the room! Check out ssrsbstaff, lots of cool experiments for kids!

5. Explore Egg-citing Inertia with Mr. O!

Playground Science

Photo Credit: Gabriel Pollard - swing / teeter totter

The playground is a fantastic place to conduct physical science experiments. Bring the kids out to explore levers / balance, pendulums / force, ramps / friction, and simple pulleys!

Teeter Totter
1. Balance - Have a bigger kid sit on one end and a smaller on the other. The obvious will happen of course! The side holding more weight will bring the lighter side up. Now, have the larger kid scoot towards the center of the teeter totter away from the seat. What happened? By changing the placement of weight on the lever, the teeter totter will begin to balance the two weights. Have two kids sit on one side and one on the opposite. Using your science skills you gained from the above experiment, try to balance out the teeter totter to make it equal. 

Swing
1. Force and Frequency - Give a student one small push on a swing and tell them not to pump. Count how many times the swing moves back and forth within one minute. Next, give a student one gigantic push (no pumping) and record the same data. Then, have a student pump their legs with no push and count. Compare your findings. Does a small or large push without pumping produce better results than using your legs to pump? Which way produced the largest number for the amount of times the swing went back and forth in one minute? via ehow

2. Twist a swing and let it fly. Time how long the swing takes to untwist. Then, have a kid sit on a a twisted swing. Have the child extend their arms and legs outward when you let go. You'll notice that the swing's speed will slow down. By pulling weight away from your body, you're slowing down the swing. Next, try tucking all the weight inward during a spin. Did you go much faster?

3. Body Position - Try sitting, standing, and squatting on a swing during a swinging cycle. How does this affect amplitude? Visit Odec to find out! 

Slide

1. Friction - Test different toys out down a slide. What moves the fastest. Now, try splashing water on the slide. Does water increase speed? Try laying down different textures on the slide (smooth surface vs. rough) and talk about friction. Check out this awesome pdf all about ramps from Peep and the Big Wide World!

Monkey Bars or Tree

1. Create a simple rope pulley! Click here to find out how! Check out this cute video from Play Time is Essential!

Static Electricity!

1. Repel / Attract
Have kids experiment with having two balloons attract and repel. Visit Learning Ideas K-8 for instructions!

2. Bending Water
Quest Garden made water bend with static electricity! materials: balloon, wool, running water
1. Rub the wool on the balloon
2. Run the water low and slow
3. Hold the balloon next to the running water

3. Balloon Pickup

Can a ballon pick up cereal or paper? via Mad Sci

Rub a record with wool and hold it over Rice Krispies cereal. The cereal will snap, crackle, and fly! Now, rub a ballon with wool and see if it can pick up cut pieces of paper or tissue. The tissue will be attracted to the balloon, then jump away! Can you pick up anything else with a charged balloon?
4. Roll a Can with No Hands! via science quad

materials: soda can, head of hair, and a balloon

1. Lay the can on a flat surface.

2. Rub a balloon on your head or wool.

3. Hold the balloon close to your can, without touching it.

4. The can will roll toward the balloon! Have a soda can race with a friend! via Science Bob 

5. Electrifying Gelatin! 

Make gelatin raise the roof with static electricity! Pour some unflavored gelatin on a flat surface. Then, rub a blown up balloon on your head (super fast) or wool to create a charge. Once the balloon is all charged up, place it over the gelatin (without touching). The balloon will raise the gelatin up into the air! Visit Zoom for the full explanation.

photo via family fun

6. Floating Orb (left)
Visit Disney Family Fun for instructions!

7. Haunted Straw
Can you make a straw rotate in a full circle without touching it?! Check out the Surfing Scientist and amaze your friends!

8. Snake Charmer
Make a tissue paper snake rise up! Visit Powerhouse Museum for instructions!

9. Floating Octopus
Control a plastic bag octopus with a balloon wand! - Science Squad

Marble Science

Friction
Have kids roll marbles on a smooth and rough surface. What surface makes the marble roll the fastest?

Sink or Float?

Collect marbles and various other objects and test buoyancy. What sinks and what floats? 

Viscosity

Now, experiment with how marbles react to fluids with a higher viscosity than water. Drop a marble in each of the following liquids: corn syrup, milk, honey, and oil. Explain that thicker liquids have a higher mass and make the marble move slower. 

"Hypothesize before you perform the experiment about which liquid will move the marble faster or slower."- via ehow and science buddies

Marble Moon Craters

Drop marbles from different heights and angles into a pan filled with flour. via the exploration station

Crackled Marbles

Bake marbles in the oven for a crackling effect.

 1. Preheat your oven to 450.

2. Bake marbles in a pan for 7 minutes

3. Then, transfer marbles to a bowl of ice water.

4. Finally, dry them off and enjoy!

Marble Graviton

Defy gravity with a marble and a glass! Will the marble fall out when the glass is flipped? 

explanation: 
"The inertia of the spinning marble is a "push" force.  The glass supplies another "push" force that keeps the marble moving in a "uniform circular motion."  The force of the glass is centripetal force, a force that makes a body follow a curved path. The combined forces of the spinning marble and the glass create a relative force greater than gravity." - Steve Spangler