Week 3: Ramps and Textures

Children observe and compare how objects with different textures slide down a surface.

Children explore how different surface textures (dirt, grass, and metal) affect how far and how fast a coconut rolls.

Children compare the distance two identical objects travel when they slide down a smooth ramp and a rough ramp. They use the digital Ramps Journal to make predictions and document and analyze results.

In this video, children at a park roll objects down grassy hills and paved walkways and make observations and comparisons about how far the objects roll.

Children make texture collages inside box lids. They roll a marble over the bumpy terrain and notice the way it moves.

Children compare the effect of different textured surfaces as they slide and roll objects down the ramps.

Children try to make a coconut land on a star while exploring how the amount of force, the steepness of a ramp, and the surface texture of the pathway affect how far a coconut will roll.

Children try to slide a stuffed animal down a cardboard ramp, then design a slippery “sled” that will let the animal slide more smoothly. They record “before” and “after” videos

Children roll balls and other objects down a variety of outdoor surfaces (grass, dirt, pavement). They observe how far the objects roll on surfaces and what causes the objects to stop.

In this video, children at a park roll objects down grassy hills and paved walkways and make observations and comparisons about how far and fast the objects roll.

Children view teacher-recorded videos of their outdoor experiences and talk about what they learned from rolling objects down different-textured surfaces.