Build a ramp, race the cars
A 20-minute kitchen-floor science race
Prop a board against a stack of books and race toy cars down it. Change the angle, race again, and mark where each one stops with a strip of tape.
You’ll need
- A cutting board or stiff piece of cardboard
- A few books to prop it up
- Two small toy cars or balls
- Tape
How to do it together
- 1
Lean the board against two or three books to make a gentle ramp on a smooth floor.
- 2
Each of you picks a car and makes a guess: which one will roll farther?
- 3
Let go at the same time, with no pushing. Mark where each car stops with a small piece of tape.
- 4
Add a book to make the ramp steeper and race again. Did the cars go farther? Mark it.
- 5
Let your child change one thing (a different car, a towel on the floor, a lower ramp) and predict what will happen before you try.
Make it easier
For a 5-year-old, just race and cheer, and let them put the tape down. The marking is the fun part.
Make it harder
For an 8-year-old, measure each distance with steps or a tape measure and write the results in a little table.
Why it’s worth it
It's a real experiment hiding inside a game: guess, test, look, change one thing. And your child gets to beat you, fair and square, with physics.
With Weekadoo
One idea like this every day, made for your kids
Every Sunday, a plan with a 10-minute idea for each child on weeknights and a family one for the weekend, picked for their ages and what they love.
