The Big Idea: Everyday items can make great tools for exploring science.
Elmo and Abby Investigate: Bouncing Balls
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E_jQ1ZKmiI
Watch as Elmo and Abby get ready to do a ball-bouncing experiment. Then talk about the experiment they’re doing. You might ask:
- What do Elmo and Abby want to find out? (Whether a ball will bounce higher if dropped from a higher place.)
- What materials do they need in order to do their experiment? (A ball, a ruler, or tape measure, and locations of different heights.)
- Where are they going to do their experiment? (Outside.)
Now, grab a ball and head outside together. See if you can learn the answer to Elmo and Abby’s question: Does a ball bounce higher if it is dropped from a higher height? Drop a ball from different heights. Kids might try dropping it from the height of their knee, the height of a park bench, and then from the top of a slide.