As part of our unit on forces and motion, students were asked to design and build their own sleds.  Children had lots of fun constructing imaginative creations including a sled with jet propulsion, a 12 seater, a sled with oxygen tanks just in case it needed to go under water, and an enclosed sled with lots of cozy insulation to keep passengers warm.  Some made passengers for their sleds as well.

Once the building process was complete we tested sleds inside on cardboard ramps, noting design features that affected how different sleds moved.    One sled had a tendency to follow a twisting path, while some were fast, and some were slow.  We came to the conclusion that the sleds with the smoothest bottoms were fastest because there was less friction, while adding something like pipe cleaners to the bottom would be a great way to slow a sled down.

Although it will be a bit of a relief when we don't have to put on so much clothing to go outside, we have been enjoying all of the new snow.  It has lent itself particularly well to our study of motion and pushes and pulls, especially when we use sleds.  Children have especially enjoyed the jumps created by the older children.  (Thank you to Susan Laskaris for the action photos!)

After vacation we began a Project Lead the Way science unit on forces and motion called "Pushes and Pulls".  As part of this unit students have been noticing examples of when they use pushes and pulls in their daily lives.  Once we started paying attention we noticed these examples were everywhere:  we pull on our boots and snow pants, we push the parts of our zippers together and then pull them up, we push and pull pencils and markers when we write, we push and pull sleds on the playground, we push and pull our wiggly teeth to get them out, etc.

We have also done several explorations looking at how characteristics such as weight, size, shape, and surface texture affect the amount of force needed to move an object as well as how it moves.  During these explorations children have been making observations and asking great questions about the way things move.  Some of these include, "The ball was really small but it rolled fast.  I think it's because it is heavy", "The block with sand paper moves very slowly and the block with rubber bands doesn't move at all", and "I wonder why the little car moves so much faster than the big car?"

For all children in the class, one of the most coveted times of the day is choice time.  It is the one time that I am sure to incorporate into each day no matter what schedule changes we might have, partly because I know how much the children look forward to it, but mostly because I think it is one of the most valuable times in our day for the development of critical social skills and for learning.  It is a fantastic opportunity for children to be self directed and creative while practicing important life skills such as cooperation and perseverance.  On a given day, children engage in a wide variety of activities during choice, often inspiring each other with their ideas.  Some of these include art projects, imaginative play such as house or animals, building with legos, magnet tiles, and blocks (or some crazy combination of these), playing games, doing puzzles, sewing, and writing.