Physical Science 

CURRICULUM FOCUS

In Science, we are learning about friction.

VOCABULARY

Force: Strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement.

Friction: The resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another.

Motion: The action or process of moving or being moved.

ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO AT HOME TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING

Here’s a fun at home experiment you can do with your child to explore friction!

Materials:

2 books of equal size with 100+ pages with soft covers. A phonebook works great! 

Steps: 

1. Before you begin, just half the books and put them together to show how easily they will come apart that way.
2. Interlace the pages by alternating a page from each book. The pages of the books will be woven, and the spines will be facing out. Make sure several inches of the pages overlap. Lay down the cover of book A, then the cover of book B over it. Then the back page of book A and the back page of book B. Then the next page and so on until the books' pages are woven together. You don’t have to weave all the pages & you can weave a few pages at a time. 
3. Grab one of the book spines and have a friend grab the other spine. Pull on the books to see if you can pull them apart. Have a game of tug of war with the books!

The books will stick together like glue because each page is exerting friction against the page from the other book. When the combined friction from each of the pages is added up, it equals a big force.