Simple Machine Unit

Posted by Cindy on November 25, 2009

Too many people think I have this homeschooling thing all together.  Ha!  Remember when I promised you a copy of the test at the end of our simple machines unit?  Well, not only did I never create or give a test, I also decided to ditch a couple of the planned lessons.  Why?  Because life got in the way and I’m ready for Thanksgiving break! 

Here are the last things we did…

This experiment determined which of the following materials provides for the least amount of friction when placed on a piece of scrap wood.  (Everybody has an art table that they simply cover most days with a pretty tablecloth, right?)

And this challenge was to design a parachute that would allow for the most friction so our “little person” could arrive safely on the ground.  Neither worked!  We were supposed to have bowls, but since I wasn’t prepared, we tried to design our own.  See, I’m tellin’ ya, that it’s not all peaches around here!

I think I’ll just quietly add the resources that have been in the sidebar and put simple machines behind us.  We’ll get around to it again in four years, right??

Simple Machines

Simple Machine Lessons

Many Simple Machine Lessons and Units

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Simple Machine Stations

Posted by Cindy on November 17, 2009

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.

Simple Machines and Play

Posted by Cindy on May 7, 2008

Don’t ya just love when kids use their imaginations and create really cool things?  This afternoon, the older kids made great use of their free time (and I was able to get in a little discussion about simple and complex machines!)

Caleb loves ladders, ropes, tools and other bits and pieces of boy stuff.  Living on a farm leaves lots of room for boy stuff to be sitting around.  After a failed attempt to use the ladder to climb this really tall tree, he went to work putting together a pulley with an old ax head for the purpose of smashing things.  We just happen to have a stash of really old bricks that are easily smashed, so what could be more fun, right?

Along comes big sis.  Seeing the ladder leaning against the tree reminds her of the tree house that Dad has promised to build soon.  Together they start scheming how to use the new pulley system along with the treehouse.  This is the second invention of the afternoon – a dumbwaiter.  When they want something in their treehouse, they plan to ring a bell for the servant (me) to do their bidding and send up whatever they need using the board and rope!

Do you think these ideas are worth leaving a tip in the tip basket Caleb recently put in his room?