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Roller Coaster Unit Study

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

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Why not do a Roller Coaster Unit Study with your kids during your summer vacation? You can learn a lot by riding roller coasters.

Haven’t you always wondered why you’re pushed against the seat when you are riding a fast roller coaster? The answer: centrifugal force. And why is your body jerked forward when the ride ends? Because an object in motion will remain in motion unless something stops it, like the iron bar across your lap.

To learn more, you can ask yourself the following questions from the book Roller Coaster Science:

  • How does the size of the hills change during the ride?
  • Do you move faster or slower when you are at the top of a hill?
  • Do you move faster or slower when you are at the bottom of a hill?
  • As you go up a hill, do you gain or lose speed?
  • As you go down a hill, do you gain or lose speed?
  • As you go up a hill, do you feel heavier, lighter, or your usual weight?
  • As you go down a hill, do you feel heavier, lighter, or your usual weight?
  • When the ride makes a turn, are you pushed into the turn or away from it?
  • When the tracks curve, do they tilt inward or outward or are they parallel to the ground?

The book gives you an explanation for why all these things happen. It’s fun to actually pay attention to how you feel as you are riding on the roller coasters, and then later learn the science behind it.

If you want to tie in Language Arts, you can do a fun writing assignment about an amusement park:

You can build your own roller coaster out of K’nex:

Here is a free printable PDF for understanding roller coaster physics, from the Virginia Instructors of Physics:

If you want to understand the physics behind roller coasters, watch this:

As you can see, besides having a splendid time with your family, you can have a great educational experience at the same time. So why not? Go ride some roller coasters with your kids!

For more fabulous unit studies, join the Unit Study Treasure Vault.

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Posted in Fun Summer Activities | 5 Comments »

Statue of Liberty Unit Study

Monday, July 1st, 2013

statue-of-liberty-unit-studyMy children had a fabulous time with this Statue of Liberty Unit Study.

We started by making a Statue of Liberty model. We bought a large hunk of white self-hardening clay. I took it out of the box and placed it on wax paper on top of a cutting board. I sliced it with a butcher knife into four pieces, one for each of my children.

At the table, I placed wax paper for easy clean-up. You will be banging your head against the wall if the self-hardening clay dries like cement straight onto your table, so be sure not to skip this step.

Each child should have a picture of the Statue of Liberty, to help the child draw the shape onto the front of the hunk of clay, using a plastic sculpting knife. You should cut away the clay that you don’t want. It comes off like butter. If the head looks flat like Frankenstein, you can always add more clay and fix it. If you want to erase a line, just rub your finger over it.

After getting the main shape, start adding details. Add the torch, the arm with a tablet, and the pedestal at the bottom of the statue. Then add the finishing details: the spikes coming out of the crown, the facial features, and the folds in the clothing. When you are finished, let the clay harden for two days. Take a look at how much fun my kids had with this activity:

We read the book How They Built the Statue of Liberty so that the children could understand how it was constructed. Step by step drawings helped the children see how the statue was assembled.

Here is a printable model of the Statue of Liberty, from Paper Toys. Be sure to print it on white card stock paper and watercolor light green paint on it before cutting it out and gluing it together.

Here is a free printable book full of activities from the National Park Service:

Here is a virtual tour of the Statue of Liberty:

Here is a short video tour of the Statue of Liberty:

Hundreds of unit studies like this are instantly available when you join the Unit Study Treasure Vault.

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Posted in Fun Summer Activities, History | 8 Comments »

Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #17: Sand Shapes

Friday, May 10th, 2013

sand-shapes-3

Another creative way to use a cookie cutter is to make sand shapes. This is a particularly fun activity in the summer, when your kids want to play in the sand at the beach. You can press the cookie cutter into some wet sand, and out comes a beautiful shape.

sand-shapes-2

If the sand is too dry to hold the shape, just pour a bucket of water on the sand, and it will be able to hold its shape better. Run your fingers around the outside of the cookie cutter to get the best result from your cookie cutter shape. Fool simple people into thinking you found a fossil by taking a fish cookie cutter, and after making a fish shape in the sand, add bones by drawing lines with a popsicle stick.

sand-shapes

You can add embellishments to a sand castle by using cookie cutters in the shapes of whatever decoration you want. A square cookie cutter might be perfect for windows or the shape of rocks or bricks on your castle. A gate can also be made with a square cookie cutter. Bushes can be formed by a flower cookie cutter, if you can stand it up on its edge. I would get a flat cutting board behind it so that you can press down hard on the cookie cutter to form the bush on its side. Then lift the cutting board away.

For more ideas on what you can make with sand, check out The Wonderful World of Sand and Dirt.

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Posted in Fun Summer Activities | 4 Comments »

Camping in the Backyard

Monday, August 13th, 2012

camping-in-the-backyard

My husband and third son went camping in the backyard last weekend. It was my husband’s idea. He wanted to spend time one-on-one with each of our kids this summer. He is planning to go fishing with my second son, and he will be taking my oldest son to a robotics class for youth. He also plans to take my daughter to the local children’s museum. I love that my husband wants to spend time with our kids, and that he enjoys them.

It must have been fun for my son Nathaniel to lie down in a sleeping bag next to his dad’s sleeping bag, chatting as they fell asleep in the tent. There’s something about one-on-one time that makes a kid feel important, like he matters. It doesn’t even have to cost any money.

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Posted in Fun Summer Activities | 4 Comments »

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