- balls (various sizes and weights)
- camera or cell phone with camera
- clipboard
- objects (ramp props, i.e., books, blocks)
- objects (obstacles, i.e., cardboard tubes, toy cars, blocks, pencils, etc.)
- paper
- ramps
- move
- obstacle
- ramp
MA Standards:
English Language Arts/Language/L.PK.MA.6: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, listening to books read aloud, activities, and play.
MA Draft Standards:
Physical Sciences/Motion and Stability; Forces and Interaction/PS2.A: Plan and carry out investigations of the behaviors of moving things.
Physical Sciences/Motion and Stability; Forces and Interaction /PS2.B: Using evidence, discuss ideas about what is making something move the way it does and how some movements can be controlled. [Cause and Effect, Stability and Change]
Head Start Outcomes:
Logic and Reasoning/Reasoning and Problem Solving: Recognizes cause and effect relationships.
Science Knowledge/Scientific Skills and Method: Uses senses and tools, including technology, to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Language 2: Participate actively in discussions, listen to the ideas of others, and ask and answer relevant questions.
Explore Together (indoors): Vary the Obstacles
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
STEM Key Concepts: Objects that slide are more likely to move on steeper inclines, and both rolling and sliding objects move faster down steeper inclines; An object placed on an inclined plane will roll, slide, or stay put; The motion and speed of a rolling or sliding object is affected by the texture of the object and the texture of the surface on which it is rolling or sliding; When a rolling ball hits an obstacle, it will stop or slow down and its direction may change
ELA Focus Skills: Speaking and Listening, Vocabulary
Have children continue to explore the ramps they’ve built. This time, have them explore using different objects as obstacles. Introduce children to materials that they haven’t previously used as obstacles. You could introduce materials such as differently weighted obstacles (e.g., cardboard box, rock, shoe) that children can test. Or you may want to give children the challenge of building an obstacle the ball cannot knock down. Encourage children to be creative.
As children work, guide them to switch the obstacles they’ve been using for the new materials. Ask questions to guide children to make predictions and to notice how the ball and the obstacles move (or don’t move) when they hit. Ask questions such as,
- What do you predict will happen when the ball hits this cardboard box?
- How do you think the ball will move differently if it hits the rock? Why do you think so?
Reflect and Share
Have children share what they observed while exploring the materials. Ask questions such as,
- What did you notice that was different about how the ball moved when it hit the box and how it moved when it hit the shoe?
- Why do you think the ball stopped moving when it hit the rock?
Share photos you took and have children refer to them as they speak.
English Language Learners: Point to and name supplies and describe their uses. Allow children to hold and feel the objects as you name them. Have them repeat the name of each object after you. Help children describe the object to help them remember the name.