Objective
By the end of this lesson, Elisabeth will be able to create a marble run using gutters and understand basic concepts of gravity and motion.
Materials and Prep
- Plastic gutters (cut into sections for the marble run)
- Marbles
- Tape
- Flat surface for setting up the marble run
No prior knowledge required, just be ready to have fun experimenting!
Activities
- Create different configurations of the marble run using the gutters and tape, and test how the marbles move through them.
- Experiment with changing the angles of the gutters to see how it affects the speed of the marbles.
- Try adding obstacles or tunnels using additional materials to make the marble run more challenging.
Talking Points
- Quotation: "When we put the marble at the top of the gutter and let it go, it moves down because of gravity. Gravity pulls things down!"
- Quotation: "The angle of the gutter can make the marble go faster or slower. A steeper angle makes it go faster!"
- Quotation: "Let's see what happens when we add a curve to the gutter. Will the marble be able to go around it?"
- Quotation: "What if we make the gutter longer? Will the marble take longer to reach the end?"
- Quotation: "Remember to have fun and try different things. That's how we learn and discover new things!"