The last topic in our motion/movement science series is RAMPS. This is a fun topic to teach because most children already make and use ramps all the time, they just don't realize the 'science' behind it.
Here are a few books you can use when talking about ramps-
The activity we did first was to test how the height of ramps effects the distance something rolls. We set up our first ramp about 3-4 inches high.
J put her car at the top of the ramp and let it go. We let it roll down the hallway until it stopped. I took a dry erase marker and marked where it stopped. Then we lifted the ramp up to about 10 inches. I put a plastic box under the ramp to lift it up.
J put the car back on top and let it roll again. When it stopped, I placed another mark where it had stopped. We compared the distances and came to the conclusion that a steeper ramp caused the car to roll farther.
The next activity we did was to show how ramps can make work easier. I loaded a grocery bag with cans and told J to try to carry the bag up the ladder into the play house.
She really struggled with this and was not able to get the bag to the top of the ladder. Then, I tied a string to the bag and told her to climb into the play house (without the bag). I then handed her the string and let her pull the bag of cans into the play house by using the ramp, aka- the slide.
This was MUCH easier she said. We also looked at a few pictures of the Egyptians using ramps when building the pyramids to move the huge stones. Conclusion- ramps make make it easier to move heavy objects.
These are fun, simple ways to demonstrate the use and benefits of ramps. They could also be used when talking about simple machines. ENJOY!
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