We’re glad you asked!

Today we are talking about rough and smooth things.
We can teach friction by placing a flat object on ramps and looking at how fast it slides down the ramp. When it slides down quickly, we can say there was only a little friction between the object and the ramp.
When it slides down slowly, we can say there was plenty of friction between the object and the ramp.

After you guys conduct our Friction Experiment, the children should understand that smooth surfaces have low friction and rough surfaces have high friction.

Friction Experiment

Material

1. Toy car with a flat roof
2. At least 1 rough and 1 smooth surface that can be tilted

Procedure

1. Put the car upside down on the rough surface
2. Tilt the surface slightly until the car slides.
3. Monitor how quickly or slowly it slides.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for your smooth surface

Note

1. Do not let your children play with the car by rolling it on its wheels. This will be an exercise in their restraint.
2. Try the experiment with many other objects like books, stuffed toys, rulers etc.

Have a good day!

Zenith Preschool Team