Exploring basic physics concepts
Bringing science and physics to life, trying things out testing the results in a fun, educational and engaging way that all the children loved was a great way to start off our ‘Exploring Physics’ program.
By using a few simple materials found around the classroom we were able to create exciting tools to help the children explore the basic physics concept of turning Potential energy (stored energy in an object due to its position) into Kinetic energy (energy which a body possesses because of its motion).
Working together we built catapults out of plastic spoons, tape, and wooden blocks and we used them to propel pom-poms varying distances across the classroom. We also used old plastic cups, balloons, and pom-poms to create exciting poppers! The children loved experimenting with the catapult. Some of them loved the sounds of the spoons as they pulled them back and let them go.
Next, we tried launching different materials like ping-pong balls to see what differences they made compared to the pom-poms – did they travel as far? If so then why? And how did we measure the distances they travelled? We used pieces of lego and counted how many pieces of lego away each flew.
Our conclusion – the ping-pong balls flew the furthest.
