A Guided Tour of

Gravity
Brittani Justice

Grade Level: Kindergarten

GPS Topic: Gravity

Site #1
Site Title: Kids Science Experiments – Clown Ping-Pong Ball
Site URL: http://www.kids-science-
experiments.com/aclownthatwillnotliedown.html

Annotation: An experiment that children can do to illustrate how

gravity pulls down on objects.

Activity 1: Following the directions on the website the children

will build a model clown from half of a ping pong ball and a
rolled up piece of cardboard paper. They will make the
cardboard paper into a tube and stick it inside the ping pong ball
half and tape the paper and ball together. They will then stick
modeling clay in the ball half and try to push the clown down
onto his back.

Site #2
Site Title: Kids Science Experiments – Flipping Clown
Site URL: http://www.kids-science-
experiments.com/flippingclown.html

Annotation: This experiment is a follow up to the clown that

won’t lie down. This experiment will teach them how the center
of gravity changes (moves from one end to another end).

Activity 1: Again, following the directions from the website the

students will use the clown from the previous experiment. They
will take the modeling clay out of the ball half and replace it with
a marble. Once the marble is in the ping pong half, they will
place the other half of the ball at the top of the paper tube and
tape the ball to the tube, so the clown is now enclosed with a
marble inside. The students will then place the clown on an
incline and push him over and watch him flip over and over.

Site #3
Site Title: Reeko’s Mad Scientist Lab
Site URL:
http://www.spartechsoftware.com/reeko/Experiments/gravity.htm

Annotation: This experiment will show students that gravity

pulls all objects down at the same speed.

Activity 1: Following the teacher’s instructions one student will

stand in a chair with two oranges and hold them straight out in
front of them at the same height and then drop them. There will
be a student lying on the floor near the chair to see if both
oranges hit the ground at the same time. Then, the student in the
chair will repeat this, but this time, the student will be holding an
orange and a grape, instead of two oranges, and see which one
hits the ground first. The students will learn that the grape and
the orange hit the ground at the same time.

Site #4
Site Title: Primary Games
Site URL:
http://www.primarygames.com/arcade/gravity/start.htm

Annotation: This is an online game for children to play.

Activity 1: This is a game called Gravity. The children will follow

the directions from the website to get the space man to where he
needs to be and the children move onto higher levels.
Site #5
Site Title: iKnowthat.com Learning Skills for Life
Site URL:
http://www.iknowthat.com/com/L3?Area=Science+Lab&COOK=

Annotation: This gives students a good visual of how gravity

works.

Activity 1: This is an interactive online diagram. There is a

picture which displays different objects that can illustrate
gravity. The students will use the web page to navigate through
the picture. The student can position the pointer on to the
different objects in the picture. There is a caption that will
appear next to the picture that explains the object and how
gravity works with that object.

Site #6
Site Title: Glorious Gravity
Site URL:
http://www.abc.net.au/spark/experiments/s1090480.htm

Annotation: This teaches students how gravity pushes on

objects when they are either still or in motion.

Activity 1: Following the directions provided by the website the

students will take a Styrofoam cup and poke a hole in the
bottom and fill the cup with water. The students will hold the cup
still and watch the water fall out of the hole in to bottom. The
students will then drop the cup and watch as the water stops
dripping from the bottom of the cup as the cup falls to the
ground.

Site #7
Site Title: Gravity: Earth & Moon
Site URL:
http://www.sunblock99.org.uk/sb99/people/RWalsh/gravity/e_m.h
tml
Annotation: This experiment will show how the gravitational pull
between the earth and the moon are similar to tension in a string
holding something together.

Activity 1: By using the directions given by the website the

students will take a tennis ball and wrap an elastic band around
it. They will then tie a string to the elastic band. They will hold
the string (that is attached to the ball) and start spinning the ball
around themselves. They will then let go of the ball and see it fly
away in a straight path. This will show them that the
gravitational attraction between the earth and the moon is
similar to the tension in the string.

Site #8
Site Title: Pioneer Elementary School: Students Enjoy “Hands-
On” Gravity Lesson
Site URL:
http://www.ontario.k12.or.us/district0506/pioneer/gravity.htm

Annotation: This experiment will teach students that gravity is a

force that pulls things down.

Activity 1: With teacher guidance and website instructions the

students will take a flat tray and sprinkle baby powder on it.
They will then place the tray on an incline and make predictions
about what will happen when they drop water on the powder.
They then will drip colored water onto the tray and watch the
drops fall down the tray.