Showing posts with label levers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label levers. Show all posts

Friday, April 26, 2013

Kid Lever

Construct a lever that can be used as a balancing scale or a catapult!

materials:
4 plastic cups
ruler
straw
sturdy stick (could use a chopstick)
tape

1. Insert stick inside of straw
2. Tape straw to center of the ruler (back)
3. Tape ends of stick to bottom of 2 of your cups
4. (for balancing scale): tape the bottom of the other 2 cups to the the top of the ruler
PLAY!

You can compare objects' weight or catapult something! Check the experiment out over at Jameson's Lab!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

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

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Slingshots and Catapults

Demonstrate projectile motion, exertion, force, velocity, potential / kinetic energy, and angles with slingshots and catapults! How much force is needed to project objects of different weights? What angle will fly your object the farthest? 

As a class, or an individual homework project, have kids design a catapult or slingshot. Experiment using different amounts of force. What angle creates the best launch? Try launching objects of different weights. Did heavier objects need more force and require more energy? Measure the distance of the objects you launch!

Featured above with how to instructions:

Slingshots
Hand Held Classic Slingshot - The Risky Kids. You can also make a pvc pipe hand held slingshot, click here for instructions!
Chair Slingshot - Kitchen Pantry Scientist
Pyramid Slingshot - Visit DIY Life
Construct an oversized slingshot for water balloons, balls, toys or anything else you'd like to launch! Visit Instructables, click here and here for two different designs! You can also purchase one from SSWW (featured above).
Indoor Slingshot - Design Squad Nation

Catapults
Ping Pong Ball Scoop Catapult, as well as a wide assortment of designs, click here
Popsicle Stick Bottle Cap Catapult - Do It and How
Tissue Box Pencil - Disney Family Fun

There are tons of different designs for slingshots and catapults! You can use different components from various designs to create your very own unique launcher!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

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!