Shoebox Car Derby (motion and gravity)

Last week our class had a blast learning about motion and gravity. To start the week off, we made a big chart with words about motion that the kids already knew.  They came up with words like fast, slow, twisting, sliding, etc......

Our centers included experiments with 1) matchbox car race tracks and what the effects were when you moved the tracks at different levels, started the cars in different spots, and using different cars.  2) At another center, the kids played with moving toys and wrote down as many motion words as they could think of. 

To finsh off the week, we had a SHOEBOX CAR DERBY!!! The kids made a car out of a shoebox at home. We reviewed what we learned before the derby and then had a great time watching our cars in motion!

 

 We used a folding table with one side down as our track.  I decorated it with butcher paper and chalk. 

 I spray painted matchbox cars with gold spray paint and then glued together a stand using pvc pipe and a block of wood.  The idea came from my dad!  He always made them for the boy scout's pinewood derby races! 

We kept score by making 3 groups.  Each person raced every car in the group.  The finalist from each group raced each other.  This helped with the time management.