We investigated force and motion as part of our science curriculum. We began by observing the rolling motion of a ball.

This boy devised a ramp for his ball.

One of our centers was Transportation Testing. First we predicted if some common objects (like a paper clip, crayon, scissors, bean, cup, button, cottonball, pencil and block) would roll.

Then we tried each one on our ramp to see if our predictions were accurate. When we were finished, we tried rolling different cars down the ramp.

Each child tried to push this heavy basket of books with their pinky finger. It was hard to move! (We found out later that was due to friction.)

The girl can easily push a pencil with her pinky. Then we talked about one of the best simple machines ever invented--the wheel. We put pencils under the basket to act as wheels and it was much easier to move.

One of our investigations involved rolling a car over different surfaces and comparing how it rolled. This student drew a picture of his car and is holding the clipboard he used to record the results on each surface.

First, we rolled the cars on carpet.

Then on smooth floor.

We rolled them on dry sand....

and on wet sand.

How did they roll on the sidewalk?

What about the grass?

I challenged the children to try to move the car without touching it with their hands. I should have guessed one of them would use his head to give it a push! So I changed the task to trying to move the car without touching it with any body part. The car was placed on the clipboard for an extra smooth surface.

He used a pencil to move his car.

She moved her car by blowing on it.

He picked up the clipboard to make it into a ramp.

This child picked up one side of her desk to make a ramp for the car.

The boy checked to see if a foam block could be moved by making his desk into a ramp.

He tried to move a wooden block by blowing on it. A wooden block could not be moved, but a foam block could be moved by blowing on it.