📖

Ramp Races

Motion and Forces

Day 94of 180
Week 19of 36
30Minutes
← Day 93Day 94 of 180Day 95
🖨️ Download Worksheet (PDF)

Learning Objectives

1

Understand how gravity affects object motion

2

Measure and compare distances traveled by objects on different ramps

3

Develop curiosity about God's design of physical laws

Proverbs 3:19

Yahweh by wisdom founded the earth. By understanding, he established the heavens.

Proverbs 3:19 (WEB)

God's wisdom is reflected in the physical laws of motion and gravity we observe in our experiment

📦 Materials Needed

  • Toy cars
  • Cardboard or wooden ramps
  • Measuring tape
  • Notebook
  • Pencil

Lesson Plan

1Opening (3 min)

Welcome to today's BibleMouse science adventure! Yesterday we learned about how forces change object movement, and today we'll explore how gravity makes things move.

💭 Review Question: Can you remember one way we saw forces change direction yesterday?
2Teaching (10 min)

Gravity is an amazing force that God created to help things move. When we put something on a slope, gravity pulls it downward, making it roll or slide.

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • Gravity always pulls things toward the center of the Earth
  • Steeper slopes make objects move faster
  • The higher the ramp, the more gravity can work
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • What do you think will happen if we make our ramp steeper?
  • How might gravity help us in everyday life?
3Activity: Ramp Race Experiment (12 min)
hands-on

Race toy cars down ramps of different heights and measure how far they travel

📝 Instructions:
  1. Set up 3 ramps at different angles
  2. Use same car for each ramp
  3. Measure distance car travels
  4. Record results in notebook
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Use only two ramp heights

Challenge: Calculate average distance and create a graph

4Closing (3 min)

Review our discoveries about how gravity makes things move

📝 Review Questions:
  • What made the car go faster?
  • How does gravity help things move?

Coming up: Tomorrow we'll learn about predicting how objects will move when different forces are applied!

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

Gravity is a constant, invisible force that pulls objects toward Earth's center

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Let child lead exploration
  • Encourage careful measurement
  • Praise curiosity and careful observation
🤔 Common Struggles:

Children might get frustrated if cars don't move exactly as expected

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Child's ability to make and test predictions

Extension Activities

  • Create a BibleMouse science journal to record experiment results
  • Watch online videos about gravity from BibleMouse Resource Guide

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

Continue to Day 95Back to Science