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Above Water: Buoyancy & Displacement
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In an investigation called "Shape It!" learners craft tiny boats out of clay, set them afloat on water and then add weight loads to them, in order to explore: how objects stay afloat in water; what th
Uplifting Force: Buoyancy & Density
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In this investigation, learners explore the force known as buoyancy by placing various objects into water and observing how they behave (for example, which sink more quickly, which float, how much wat
Doughy Physics
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Learners drop two different masses of play dough and observe how long it takes them to hit the ground.
Zip Line
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In this design challenge activity, learners build a device to carry a Ping-Pong ball from the top of a zip line to the bottom in four seconds (or less!).
Clay Bridges
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In this activity, learners make bridges using an oil-based modeling clay (plasticene). The instructions include discussion questions for both before and after bridge building.
Which Parachute
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In this activity, learners will engineer three different parachutes to test how well each one works.
Swing in Time
Learners build and investigate pendulums of different lengths. They discover that the longer the string of the pendulum, the longer the time it takes to swing.
How Do Things Fall?
Learners engage in close observation of falling objects. They determine it is the amount of air resistance, not the weight of an object, which determines how quickly an object falls.
Solve The Fall
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In this twist on a classic design challenge, learners will try to stop a bouncy ball from bouncing as they explore how to control the fall of an object.
Hang Time
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In this physics activity, learners will build their own parachutes out of tissue paper. They will explore the effects of weight, height, and design on the parachutes' speed and stability.
Zipline
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In this design activity, learners create a vehicle that can transport a load, like a favorite toy or as a recycled object, from the top of a zipline to the bottom using only gravity.
Building with Wonderful Junk
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In this activity (page 4), learners work in groups to plan and build large structures using recyclable materials they have brought from home.
Pop Can "Hero Engine"
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In this activity, learners build water-propelled engines from soft drink cans.
Roller Coasters
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In this design challenge, learners will create their own roller coaster using household objects for the track and a marble or small ball as their cart.
Rubber Band newton Scale
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In this activity, learners make a simple spring-like scale using a rubber band instead of a spring, and calibrate the scale in newtons (N).
Two-String Yo-Yo
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Learners build a yo-yo using a piece of wood, PVC pipe, and string. In doing so, learners explore the force of gravity and angular momentum.