oForce and Motion: What Rolls?
-
Vocabulary: Move, Push, Pull, Roll, Wheels, Force, Gravity, Friction, Slide, Ramp, Heavy, Light, Faster and Faster, Time
Materials: Objects that roll and some that do not (toy cars, balls, acorns, pinecones, frozen dinner trays, empty containers, newspaper, blocks)
Activity: Collect objects and try to roll them. Define what it means to roll. Find “rollers” and “non-rollers”. Find objects that are easy to roll and hard to roll. Find objects that roll smoothly and roll roughly.
Measurement: Identify the shape of a cross section of the object. Measure the perimeter or circumference.
Resource: Williams, R et al. (2010). Preschool Scientist, pgs. 84-85. (Buy on Amazon)
oBig Ideas from Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
-
Properties of Matter: How does the shape of an object (and it's cross-section) affect how it rolls?
Force and Motion: How does the angle of the ramp affect when objects begin to roll?
Earth Science: How does the shape of a rock affect how it rolls in an avalanche?
Characteristics of Organisms: How does body structure affect how some animals roll? (caterpillar of mother-of-pearl moth, one species of mantis shrimp, pangolins; Wikipedia: Terrestrial Locomotion)
Tools and Measurement: How does the weight or height of an object affect how far it rolls?
oAdditional Photos
-
What Rolls on a Flat Surface?
What Rolls on a Slope?
What Rolls Fastest?
Static Friction (video)
What Rolls Faster? (audio)
