How Far Did Your Car Roll? Pre-K and K

If you give 3 and 4 year old children some cars, an empty cardboard tube, and blocks, what do you think will happen?

They will naturally set up the cardboard tube and blocks to make an incline.  They will want to see the car roll through the tube and how far the car will travel. Next, they will want to compete against other students. 
“My car will go farther than your car!”

Through teacher intervention, instead of hearing students comment, “My car went farther than yours,” you can hear, “My car went farther. It went to the 10 and yours went to the 8.”

 What materials must you add? 

 A number line including a visual ten frame.

Next, let students explore for several days. Then ask them to record what they found out with this recording sheet and a marker.

Students color in the number line to show how far their car traveled. 

 

Then extend the experience by adding  a small and large car to the center. In whole group discuss that fact that there are going to be 2 size cars now to experiment with. 

“Does the size of the car matter?”

Again, let student explore this idea.

Lastly, discuss in whole group,does the size of the car also effects the WEIGHT of the two cars. I used a food scale and weighed the cars in front of the group to see if one car weighs more than the other. 

Discuss: Why does the weight matter?

 

I loved doing this experiment with a group of native spanish speakers in a Pre-K class. 

 If you would like to do it with your students, it will be  available in my Teacher Pay Teacher store soon.  All the response sheets and ten frames are done for you in both English and Spanish for only $2.00.

Smiles,

Deborah