This week, we have continued to look at forces in Science. We have explored how different mechanisms can be used to help reduce the effort needed to move a load.
On Monday, the children started off by looking at levers. We identify the different parts of a lever – beam, fulcrum and load. We then went on to making are own levers with the children’s equipment. The children used a ruler, a whiteboard pen, rubbers and glue sticks to construct their levers. They explored what happens when the fulcrum (whiteboard pen) moves closer to the load and were able to explain the outcome.
On Tuesday, we moved on to gears. The children explored how gears work and how they are used in real life context. The children made their own working gears out of cardboard.
Finally, on Wednesday the children explored pulleys. We looked at the four main components – rope, wheel, effort and load. The children really enjoyed looking at where pulleys can be found in real life situations. The children were then given the opportunity to build they own simple pulley to help lift a load.
The children have had a fantastic week exploring these different mechanisms and contrasting their own versions.
