CU 4.08Gravity: Falling Objects

1. 1

   Hold a ball out and let go. Ask: 'Why did it fall down and not up?' Say: 'The earth pulls everything toward it. That pull is called gravity.'

2. 2

   Take the two balls. Let the child hold both and say which is heavier.

3. 3

   Ask which will land first. Hold both at the same height over the mat and let go at once.

4. 4

   Listen: 'One thump. They landed together.'

5. 5

   Repeat with the two blocks.

6. 6

   Drop the flat paper and the crumpled paper together. Watch the flat sheet float down slowly: 'The air pushes up on the flat paper and slows it.'

7. 7

   Invite the child to drop each pair and place a prediction card first.

What catches the child’s eye

• One single thump when two very different balls land at the same moment
• A flat sheet of paper drifting side to side while the crumpled one drops straight down

Extensions, easiest to hardest

1. Drop a flat sheet and a crumpled sheet, then fold the flat one and compare again
2. Drop a feather and a coin and talk about why the feather is slower
3. Find things that fall in daily life: leaves, rain, snow
4. Record each pair's result on a simple chart