The Science of Doors

The other day, L was out back in his playhouse, and I noticed he kept opening and closing the shutters on the windows. He has been very interested in opening and closing other doors and cabinets around the house as well. So I decided to do some research on doors and hinges and simple machines. Hinges are actually in the wheel and axle category of simple machines.

eHow says in an article called The Types of Simple Machines Found in Your Home:

Wheels and Axles
Like a lever, a wheel works by rotating around a fulcrum; in this case, the axle. Cars, toys, fans and fishing reels all use wheels and axles. Door hinges are also an example of this device--the round part of the hinge is an elongated wheel. On interior doors, the side attached to the wall and the side attached to the door have multiple wheels that rotate around a common axle.

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  Air and Water says:

  Wheel & Axle The wheel and axle is made up of both a wheel and axle that will rotate together. The wheel and axle is similar to a lever except that the input energy is applied to the end of the wheel which is perfectly balanced around the hinge. The distance from the hinge to the item being pulled shows the mechanical advantage.
  
  Idaho Public Television says:
  Wheel and Axle:
  a wheel and axle has a larger wheel (or wheels) connected by a smaller cylinder (axle) and is fastened to the wheel so that they turn together. When the axle is turned, the wheel moves a greater distance than the axle, but less force is needed to move it. The axle moves a shorter distance, but it takes greater force to move it. Examples: Door Knob, Wagon, Toy Car
  
  
  

  

  
  
  Now, of course our babies and toddlers and even preschoolers are not quite ready to understand all this yet.  But it is important that we understand so that we can teach them properly when they start asking us questions. For the very young children who aren't talking yet, just allowing them to explore with opening and closing doors is good. Some doors close automatically and some don't. There are doors that slide, doors that revolve, and doors that lift. 
  

  

  
  
  For children who are a little bit older, encourage them to ask questions. An example is "Why do hinges creak?" Chances are, the children will come up with better questions than we can. The key is to allow them to do the research and show them how to find the answers on their own. Google is an excellent resource of course, but providing them with materials to do experiments on their own will make a far bigger impression on them. They will remember what they learned better if they learned it own their own by trial and error. 
  

  

  
  

  Here are some pictures of doors we found around the house and neighborhood. Just look around and I'm sure you will find a lot more doors than you thought you had!

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

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Bean Growth Experiment and Documentation

We decided to do this experiment to find the answer to our question: Can a seed grow without soil? This question came up during our study of where plants grow. We talked about plants that grow in water, sand, on rocks, and even in snow. 

The first step was to make predictions. Each child voted whether they thought it would grow with no soil. Then we put a pinto bean in a ziplock bag wrapped in a wet paper towel and taped it to the window (April 17). We checked it every few days to see if it was growing. 

Our bean on April 20.

Here is what we wrote in our science journal.

Our bean on April 24.

Here is what we wrote in our science journal.

Our bean on April 26.

Our bean on April 27.

 Our bean on April 30.

We kind of got busy with another project and didn't have a chance to write in the science journal as much after the first 2 times, but here is the documentation board I made using the photos, children's drawings and our predictions from the first day.

Our conclusion: Yes, seeds can grow with no soil!

5/15 UPDATE: Thanks to the suggestion of one reader, I decided to talk to the kids today about why the plant can grow with no soil for a while and why it will need to be planted in soil to continue to grow after it uses all the nutrients from the seed. It went very well and the children seemed to understand. If it wasn't the last week of the school year, I would continue this experiment by planting one of the bean plants in soil and keep the other in the wet paper towel and have the students continue to observe. Oh well, there is always next year.

What kinds of experiments have you been doing?

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Eggs-ploration

Last week, we did a little exploring with eggs. I brought in a hard-boiled and a raw egg for each class to talk about, predict what was inside and break them open to see what was actually inside. Here are some of the answers we got. Sorry I don't have any photos of the kids actually doing the activity as I was right in the middle of the action!

The kids had fun and learned a lot as well! It was exciting to witness their reactions as they watched the eggs being cracked open and waiting to see if their predictions were right. 

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"Protect the House" Experiment

We have been learning about homes around the world and we wanted to know why houses all over the world are built differently. To test out how houses react to different type of weather, we decided to do an experiment using cardboard boxes as our house and see which type of covering material would work the best to keep rain out. Here is the documentation of our work.

Protect the House Project

Here are the items I provided the children to choose from to cover their house. Glue, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, clear packing tape, masking tape, and construction paper.

Group 1 AM covering it with glue.

 Group 1 AM Pouring the water after glue dried.

 

Results to Group 1 AM- DRY!

Group 2 AM hard at work covering their house with foil.

 Group 2 AM covering it with plastic wrap and clear tape.

Group 2 AM adding their floor. 

 Group 2 AM making it "rain."

Group 2 AM Results- Floor fell apart, but dry on the inside!

Group 1 PM covered their house with plastic wrap and clear tape.

Group 1 PM making it rain.

Group 2 PM Results- A little wet on the edges, but mostly dry.

Group 2 PM covered the holes and cracks with clear tape and then applied glue.

Group 2 PM pouring the water with the watering can.

 Group 2 PM noticed that the glue was starting to wash away, but the inside still wasn't wet. So, we decided to make more dramatic rain by putting our house under the faucet.

Group 2 PM Results- Even after being under the faucet, still DRY inside!!!

This experiment was so much fun. It was interesting that all the groups chose a different method to protect their house. It was also interesting to hear the children's predictions about what was going to happen to the house. They were excited about doing this and the second day when it was time to pour the water, they all wanted to participate. You could've heard a pin drop in a typically very loud classroom as they were waiting to see what would happen! I was even surprised with the results. I thought at least one of the boxes would break apart. Just goes to show, you don't always know what will happen unless you test it out.

What experiments have you done with your kiddos?

If you would like a blank copy of this form to use with your students, you can download it here:
Scientific Method Template

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