Activity 1: Dropped Objects

Materials needed:

• small objects that do not bounce (one for each student)

Procedure:

1. Give each student an object to drop. Have students drop their objects. Ask: “Where did it fall? Will it fall to the ground the next time you drop it?”
2. Trade objects and have students drop them again. Ask: "Is someone or something pushing or pulling on the object to make it fall to the ground?"
3. If students answer “no” explain that an invisible force called gravity is causing their objects to fall.
4. Explain that the force of gravity causes all objects to fall and keeps all objects on the ground.
5. Tell students that when they push a chair, they are producing the force on the chair. Ask, “What produces the force of gravity?” (The force of attraction existing between the mass of the object and the mass of the Earth.