Place a large marble in a sump pump hose (or other wide, flexible, ridged tubing) and make it roll—fast and slow, back and forth. Listen to the sounds it makes!
Move the ends of the hose up and down. Make the marble roll!
Can you make the marble go around in a circle?
Materials
- Sump pump discharge hose, 1.25″–1.5″ in diameter (or other wide, flexible, ridged tubing)
- Marbles (choose a size that can roll freely inside the hose)
- Tape
- Optional: Scissors or package cutter (for teacher preparation use)
Preparation
- Optional: If you have only one sump pump hose but would like more than one child at a time to experiment with it individually, cut it into sections. Otherwise, two or more children can work together to explore the sump pump hose and marble.
Directions: Lesson 5
Learning Center
- Place a marble in a sump pump hose and cover the ends with tape (to keep the marble inside the hose). Invite children to hold on to each end of the hose, moving one end up and down to make steep and gentle inclines with the hose and making the marble roll—fast and slow, back and forth.
- Listen to the sounds the marble makes! Ask children to observe and describe the sounds the marble makes when the tubing is held at different inclines.
- Encourage children to think up other creative ways to use the hose with marbles. Can they make a curvy ramp for a marble to roll down? Can they make a ramp with a turned-up end for a marble to shoot out of? What other contraptions and games can they invent?
SAFETY ALERT: Marbles can be a choking hazard to children. Make sure children understand that they are never to put marbles in their mouths. Monitor children when they are playing with marbles to ensure that they are using them responsibly and safely.
