Forces and Motion

The past few weeks students have been learning about push and pull.

First we sorted items that we typically push or pull.

Then we used the Gym scooters to try out pushing and pulling our friends!  We discovered it was easier to push or pull our friends when their legs were lifted up.  We learned that when a friend has their legs on the ground it causes more friction, which makes it harder to push or pull them.  We also discovered that if we use more force (or a harder push) we travel farther than when we use a little force (or give a gentle push).

Next, we experimented with ways to move a gem (either with a push or a pull).  However, we could NOT use our hands to touch the gem.  Students were given several items to use and experiment with how they could move the gem around the table.

Students were then challenged to find a way to pick up the gem using the same materials.  They had to pick it up with out using their hands holding on to the gem!  Then they had to balance the gem and put it in a small container.

Finally, we decided to see what would happen if we wanted to pick up something REALLY heavy!  We first tried to pick up a heavy bucket with our hands.  We could get it off the ground, but not very high.  It was TOO heavy.  We had also been learning about pulleys and decided to try using a pulley to help lift up the heavy bucket.  Our discovery:  Pulleys make it easier to lift heavy things! FYI:  Students did most of the pulling with the pulley themselves.  I was there for safety to keep the bucket from swinging or falling to the ground.