oForce and Motion: Rolling Beach Ball
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Vocabulary: Direction, Force, Stop, Gravity, Friction, Roll, Longer, Shorter, Slower and Slower, Time
Materials: Beach Ball, Tools to make ball move (air pump, plastic bat, cardboard to wave, fans)
Activity: Try different ways to make a beach ball move! Apply a force to the ball with your body or a tool. Start the ball moving. Stop the ball from moving.
Measurement: Push two balls at the same time, by shoving a pencil or pool noodle toward them. Measure how far they roll.
Resource: Williams, R et al. (2010). Preschool Scientist, pgs. 96-97. (Buy on Amazon)
oBig Ideas from Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
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Properties of Matter: How does the the pressure inside a beach ball affect how fast it rolls?
Force and Motion: How does the way you stop a ball affect it's impact?
Earth Science: How does wind erosion affect rocks? (wind erosion, deflation, surface creep, saltation, suspension; Wikipedia: Erosion)
Characteristics or Organisms: How does the shape of a coastal tidal beetle affect how it rolls in the wind? (Wikipedia: Terrestrial Locomotion)
Tools and Measurement: How does the weight of a ball affect how far you can push it?
oAdditional Photos
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Forces Acting on a Beach Ball (video)
