Scientific laws like Newton’s First Law Of Motion can be difficult concepts for kids to grasp, especially when science isn’t one of their best classes. But as a parent, you can present the information differently than their school does. I love recommending doing science experiments from home because they are a fun way to teach your kids about science without lecturing or forcing them to just keep studying their notes. Try this science experiment at home to show Newton’s First Law Of Motion. We added a couple of things to make it more fun than the typical science experiment too.
Objective
Create a safety device to protect the egg passenger in a toy truck car crash.
What Materials You’ll Need:
To recreate this experiment at home, you’ll need a few items. Most you’ll already have at home!
- Large Toy Pick-Up Or Dump Truck (big enough for an egg to fit in the back)
- Sturdy Cardboard (will be used to make a ramp)
- Kitchen Pot Or Brick (any heavy item for the truck to crash into)
- Plastic Garbage Bag (to cover the crash area)
- Raw Eggs
- Sheet Of Paper
- Pen
- Magic Marker
- String
- Rubber Bands
- Cotton Balls
- Tape
- Toothpicks
- Styrofoam Cup
Instructions
Step 1: It’s time to set up your workspace! Lay down your plastic garbage bag over the area you intend on running a track through up to the kitchen pot or brick wall.
Step 2: Let’s make the egg into your passenger. Draw a face on your egg and give it a name.
Step 3: Build the track! Have your child build their track. It should be as realistic as possible for this experiment to be successful.
Step 4: Next design a safety device for your passenger that fits in your toy truck.To take this experiment a step further, add prices to each object used.
Step 5: Now it’s time to create a list of how much everything used costs. Use this list to keep track of how much your child is spending on each design. Here’s an example item price list:
- Styrofoam cup: $500
- Cotton Balls: $100 each
- String: $50 per meter
- Rubber Bands: $100 each
- Toothpicks: $100 each
- Tape: no charge.
Step 6: It’s finally time to test the safety device. Put the egg passenger inside the truck with the safety device safely fastened. Then place the truck at the top of the track and let it go so it will run through the track and ultimately crash against the kitchen pot or brick.
Step 7: Now notate the findings of this track and safety device together. Did the egg passenger survive? Did it fall out of the truck? Did it crack? Did it break? Analyze your results for both passenger safety and cost to build your design. The ultimate goal here is for the egg passenger to survive, but to build an affordable track too while keeping your egg passenger safe!
Step 8: Recreate this experiment a few times with different tracks and safety devices. Then discuss which design was the least expensive design that protected the egg passenger and why.
The Lesson Learned
This experiment teaches Newton’s First Law Of Motion Science. If you’re unfamiliar or need a refresher, let’s go over it.
Newton’s First Law Of Motion Science says every object will remain at rest or in motion at a constant speed in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the actions of an external force.
In this experiment you’ll watch Newton’s First Law Of Motion Science in action. The toy truck at rest wants to stay at rest until someone pushes it and a truck in motion will stay in motion until something stops it like the kitchen pot or brick. This also applies to the egg passenger riding in the truck. Friction holds the egg in the truck while it gradually speeds up or slows down as it moves through the track. But if the toy truck stops suddenly, say when it hits a kitchen pot or brick directly in its path, inertia overcomes friction and the egg keeps moving.
Tips For Parents
Have fun with your experiment! Your child will only be as excited and as interested in this experiment as you are. Encourage them to come up with different track designs and talk about each run through after you’re done. Try to apply real-life scenarios wherever you can while building your tracks and keep in mind where the safety belts would go in cars, trucks, on airplanes, amusement park rides and other vehicles.
