Some of the activities were quick ones, like using a straw to blow a cotton ball, and some were longer like when we investigated friction. When the kids had the science concepts firmly under their belts, I posed some "impossible" questions. Their first response was always, "we can't do that!" But I told them to just try to see if they could- they did!
Here is impossible question #1
Can you knock over a glue bottle using a tennis ball without touching the tennis ball?
Here was one solution:
All of the groups used some tool to hold the ball without touching it. One group of girls thought to cradle it in a book to get the motion started. All of the groups used the blocks to make ramps for the ball to travel on.
Then I asked them impossible question #2
Can you make a car go uphill without pushing it?
Here are two solutions:
In both of the "impossible" question scenarios, the kids worked in collaborative groups. This wasn't easy for many of them, especially the first time, but on question #2, they had a much easier time working together to problem solve. They really had a great time investigating force and motion.
If you are interested in conducting some of these same experiments with your kids (they can be older than kindergarten and still learn a lot from these questions) you can click here to get the unit from my TpT store.
Happy science investigations!
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