Gravity, Friction and Magnetism Lesson Ideas for Elementary Science
One of my favorite lessons to introduce gravity is the “Barbie Bungee” experiment. The first time I tried it, the kids were so confused as I climbed to the top of a ladder with a Barbie doll and some rubber bands!
What looked baffling at first turned into a great learning experience about gravity. The activity gave us a reason to talk about why Barbie fell and what was pulling her back down after every upward bounce.
Here are some other quick lesson ideas to get your students exploring invisible forces:
Get Going with Gravity!
You can get creative with some really basic materials to explore gravity. How about proving that gravity pulls on all objects the same, no matter what they weigh?
Take two paper towel tubes. Use duct tape to securely tape both ends shut on one, but just close one end on the other. Add a handful of coins to the second tube to make it heavier, then tape it closed.
Ask students which will hit the ground first if dropped from the same height. I bet most of them will pick the one with the coins! Hold the tubes out at shoulder height and tell students to listen for the sounds of impact. The landings should be simultaneous!
Fun fact to share: all objects exert the force of gravity on each other, but the gravity of objects with more mass has a stronger pull. Earth and a pebble both have a gravitational pull on you, but you'll never feel the pull of the pebble because it's so tiny!
Feel the Friction!
You have everything you need for this activity right in your hands! 😆Have students hold their hands together for 10 seconds and notice the temperature of their palms. Then, have them rub their hands together for ten seconds. How warm are they now? That's the effect of friction!
Friction is the force that works against objects sliding past each other. Can your students think of other examples where friction makes it hard to slide or roll an object? If you have marbles, try rolling them over smooth and rough surfaces to see how friction slows down movement.
Now think about climbing up a slide in socks or in shoes. Are there times where friction can be useful?
Move It with Magnetism!
Playing with magnets and different objects is such an easy way to get students excited about magnetism. Can students figure out when magnets attract and when they repel each other? Which items in the room are magnetic? Do they have anything in common?
You can kick it up a level and help students visualize magnetic fields, too. Add two tablespoons of iron filings to a clear bottle of water and hot-glue the lid closed. When students put the magnets against the bottle, they can see the magnetic forces affecting the filings!
For a fun challenge, students can do a creative writing activity where they describe a problem that a magnet could help solve. Maybe they're retrieving metal items from the bottom of a lake or separating metal from a junk pile. I'm sure they'll come up with something interesting!
📚 Resources and Tidbits
- Books: Look for “Gravity” by Jason Chin or “Friction” by Suzanne Barchers for fun reading materials.
- "Forces: Physical Science for Kids" Read Aloud book
- Science Minute: Learn to defy the law of gravity with an apple
- Tablecloth Trick – Cool Science Experiment
May the force of curiosity guide your explorations! 😀
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