Kids' Web Classroom: Force and Motion
This section provides kid-appropriate sites that
you might want to let your students explore on
their own, or with your guidance.
Leonardo's Workshop
Go on an art adventure as you travel
back in time to visit Leonardo Da Vinci's
workshop. You're on a mission to make sure that
someone else who borrowed a time machine isn't
causing problems in Leonardo's workshop, and along
the way, you'll learn about the inventor and
artist.
Physics4Kids
This site uses clear
language to explain motion, energy, forces, friction,
gravity, momentum, vectors, velocity, work, and much more.
Simple Machines
This
page from The Franklin Institute provides easy-to-understand
explanations and images of simple machines, including the
inclined plane, lever, wedge, screw, pulley, and wheel and
axle. There are also useful links interspersed in the text
and at the bottom of the page if you'd like to investigate
further.
Forces of Flight
These pages utilize
simple text and animated diagrams to explain the four forces
that make flight possible: lift, thrust, weight, and drag.
Newton's Laws
Written for eighth graders, this page quickly
provides the basics of Newton's Laws using relevant real-
life examples. There are also two simple activities that
illustrate Newton's First and Third Laws.
Physics Comics
It's physics in a new
medium, created to help students who are having difficulty
understanding physics concepts and who might benefit from a
more visual presentation. Although it's comics, it's meant
to address upper grade students—the terms and
presentation are too advanced for younger students.
Levers
Great for students working with
FOSS's Levers and Pulleys kit who'd like to explore the
basic concepts of the lever—the fulcrum, load, and
effort—further.
Mechanics Activities
Definitely technical and therefore for the older student
only, these interactive activities from ExploreScience.com
are quite fascinating and do a good job of providing a
visible complement to the major concepts that rule
mechanics.
