Wee Steamers: Whoosh! Slides and Ramps
Join early childhood educator, Sheila Kerwin, as she takes young viewers on an exciting tour of slides and ramps. Whether sliding down a playground slide or racing down a ramp, “Whoosh!” celebrates the thrill and joy of movement, and the science behind it.
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CATEGORY:Engineering |
GRADE LEVEL:Early Childhood |
DOWNLOADS:
ACTIVITIES:
Exploring Speed and Friction on a Slide
Budding engineers can take their sliding experience and apply it to familiar objects, exploring physics concepts like speed, friction, weight, time, and gravity. Check out this activity at the Buggy and Buddy website: https://buggyandbuddy.com/playground-science-kids-exploring-ramps-friction-slide/
Magna Tile Ramp
Ramp up your child's interest in engineering by helping them build an inclined plane with Mega Tiles. If you have enough tiles, help them create two ramps of differing heights. Once completed, take similar-sized toys cars on a test drive. Which car moves faster, and why? Test again using other objects. https://happytoddlerplaytime.com/magnetic-tile-ramps/
Exploring Different Kinds of Ramps
Take your tiny engineers on a ramp exploration – and watch the experimenting begin! Testing out different kinds of ramps is a direct way to develop a foundation in physics (shape, speed, friction) and math (weight, classification, comparison). The Pre-K Pages website offers a well-designed example of this engaging activity: https://www.pre-kpages.com/science-kids-exploring-ramps-friction/
Bean Bag Stair Toss
Combine bean bags and a staircase, and you’ve got yourself an instant way for your mini scientists to explore physics – from the bottom up! Adapt the activity from the Hands on as We Grow website by creating a simple target area on each step for children to aim their beanbags. https://handsonaswegrow.com/number-learning-games-stairs/
Cereal Box Ramps
Save those cereal boxes! They’re the materials your mini engineers will use to create their own ramps and runways – with the added feature of a sidewall, which provides another element to explore as they observe how objects move down the slope. Check out this activity at A Little Pinch of Perfect: https://alittlepinchofperfect.com/cereal-box-ramps-hands-science-activity-kids-play/
CRAFT:
Doodle Lou's Inclined Plane Ball Launcher
Get students excited about learning with this fun hands-on activity! To download Doodle Lou's Inclined Plane Ball Launcher, click the CRAFT tab.
