We started our short and sweet simple machines study yesterday. As an introduction to simple machines and for self-discovery of how machines work, I set up some little centers. The kiddos had to visit each center and complete a few thought-provoking questions about what they learned. Afterward, we talked about each machine type more thoroughly and thought about when, where and how we use simple/complex machines daily.

Center #1 – Levers

• We practiced using several levers like hammers (both ends) , can openers, bottle openers, nut crackers and paint can openers.

• We also experimented with the fulcrum of a lever placed in different spots to see at which point the lever was easiest to move and how much work the lever was able to do at each point.

Center #2 – Wedges

• We had a nail with a sharp end (wedge) and a nail with a blunt end and tried hammering both to see which wedge was easier to go through the wood.

Center #3 – Inclined Plane

• Using a stack of books with string tied around them, we pulled them up a simple ramp made from a piece of scrap wood, then we pulled the stack straight up into the air.  Since we don’t own a spring scale, we tied a rubber band to the string and measured the stretch for each of the attempts to get the books to a certain level.  Upon seeing that the rubber band didn’t stretch as far when the books were pulled up the ramp, we concluded that less force was necessary using the inclined plane as compared to pulling the books straight up.  (Make sense??)

• Inclined planes were further studied as we took two screws  – one with threads very close together and one with threads far apart – and noticed how many turns it took to get each in the wood.  More turns were required for the closer threaded screw, but the job was much easier than the screw with threads far apart.

Center #4 – Wheel and Axle (along with Pulleys and Gears)

• Using the same rubber band trick as mentioned above, we determined whether or not less force was required to pull a piece of wood using wheels.
• For gears, we pulled out the gear set we have in our toy closet and closely observed how they work.
• For pulleys, we simply talked about how they work.  My children are around pulleys all the time on the farm, so they were pretty familiar with their function.  As a side note, you can find inexpensive pulleys for experiments at a tractor/farm supply store.

I had a discovery booklet made up with leading questions for each of the centers.  Since I used so many ideas and clip art from various books I have around the house, I don’t feel comfortable placing the booklet on Homeschool Share.  I will, however, plan to post the test I give at the end of the week.  I’ll let you know when it’s up.