Interactive Science Notebook - Physics Freebies, Part 2

Here we go, more physics for your Interactive Science Notebook!  

(If you missed Physics Freebies Part 1, you can find it here.)

This page has a shutterfold on Potential and Kinetic Energy, and a cutout that says "Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change form".

The shutterfold comes with definitions that fit on the insides of the flaps, and examples of potential and kinetic energy to sort and paste underneath.

Download this page here

Our physics curriculum includes calculating an object's gravitational potential energy in foot pounds, which is simple enough for even younger kids.

This flapbook covers the definitions of "pound", "foot", and "foot-pound", which can get a little confusing!  Definitions to cut and paste under the flaps are included.

This is just a simple problem to demonstrate understanding of calculating GPE.

Download these page elements here

On this page, Hunter cut out and pasted the cannon and cannon balls (and drew some cute background stuff, like grass and the sun) to show how kinetic energy is gradually transferred to potential energy and back again.  The cannonball has maximum kinetic energy as it is first fired, and just before it hits the ground.  It has maximum potential energy at the top of the arc.

Download the cannon and cannonballs here

(Two sizes are included in the download.)

The vocabulary words included in this flapbook are: motion, inertia, mass, friction, momentum, and speed.  The definitions included are from our primary text, but if they don't suit you, you can always have your student write underneath the flaps rather than gluing the definitions provided.

Download this vocabulary flapbook here

This page is one of my favorites; it covers the contributions of Aristotle, Galileo, and Newton to the study of motion, and there's also a staggered flapbook on Newton's Laws.

For this flapbook, the student will need to match each theory or contribution to the correct scientist and paste it beneath the appropriate flap.  Of course, your child can always simply take notes beneath the flaps instead!

Download the Study of Motion flapbook here

(The download includes two options:  to print on one piece of paper, or to use two different colors as shown above.)

This flapbook on Newton's Laws of Motion comes with the Laws and explanations to be pasted on the corresponding flaps.  It also has frames that can be pasted on the undersides of the flaps, for the student to include illustrations of each law.  (I recommend doing the illustrations before you cut out the frames and paste them.  It's just easier.)  The download is designed so that the laws and frames can be printed on white paper, and the flaps can be printed on two different colors that will alternate when the books are put together (as shown).

Download the Newton's Laws of Motion flapbook here

For loads more freebies and ideas for your Interactive Science Notebook, try our Pinterest Board:

  Interactive Science Notebook

For more physics freebies and activities for kids, check out this board:

Physics for Kids

There are a lot more freebies on the way this year, in many different subjects.  Don't miss anything!  Consider following us on Facebook or Bloglovin.

Interactive Science Notebook - Physics Freebies, Part 1

Hunter kept an interactive science notebook last year, and I'm finally getting around to sharing it with you!  

It was the 4th year in our science cycle, and our focus was physics.  Our main text for the year, which I recommend to anyone teaching physics at an elementary level, was Level I Physics by Rebecca W. Keller Ph.D.  It is part of the Real-Science-4-Kids series, and you can also purchase the accompanying Teacher Manual and Laboratory Worksheets if you feel you need them.

Click on the photo to check it out on Amazon.com.

For the actual notebook, we like to use the Pacon Artist Sketch Diary.  It's nice and large, with much sturdier pages than a regular notebook.  The best part is, they're nice and cheap!  Because they are so much larger than the composition notebooks commonly used in classrooms, the elements I design are usually larger too.  Most things will easily fit in a smaller book, though not necessarily in the same layout we use - you will probably have to put fewer elements on each page.  I also try to offer a smaller version of certain elements in the same download, so hopefully everyone can use them!

All of the vocabulary and definitions come from the book we used.  If the definitions don't suit you, simply have your student write under the flaps rather than gluing the provided definitions.  Vocabulary terms included in this flapbook are: physics, physical laws, force, energy, and work.

Download the vocabulary flaps and corresponding cut-and-paste definitions here

The first force we studied was gravitational force, and we supplemented the main text with these two books:

  

and this video:

Who doesn't love Bill Nye the Science Guy?

This notebook page shows that gravity pulls things towards the center of the earth from every direction.  In the frame, Hunter has written:

Gravity is a force of attraction between two objects.  Objects with greater mass have greater gravity.  Earth's gravity pulls things toward the center.  No matter where I stand on Earth, the center of the Earth is "down".

On this page, Hunter has shown that the Sun's gravity pulls on the Earth, and the Earth's gravity pulls on the moon. 

Download these pages here

This basic sort reinforces the difference between mass and weight.  Often in elementary school these terms are used interchangeably, and while that's not always incorrect, I like to be clear that they are not the same thing.

Download the Mass vs. Weight sort here

This was a really fun activity.  Hunter completed this wheel, showing how much he weighs on Earth, and how much he would weigh on the moon, the sun, Jupiter, and Mars.  We talked about how his weight would change as the gravitational force changed, but his mass would remain constant.  We used this very cool free calculator from exploratorium.edu to find his weights on the different planets:

Click the pic to visit the calculator!

Download the My Weight on Other Planets wheel here

This is how we notebooked through our experiments!  I took pictures of each step and created custom frames for Hunter to record his hypothesis, methods, results, and conclusions.  We found this particular experiment in the back of Gravity Is a Mystery (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2).  It helps students discover for themselves that objects of different sizes and weights will hit the ground at the same time.  The shape of an object, however, can slow it down.

This page simply contains Hunter's conclusions from the experiment, and a staggered flap book called "Facts About Force".

The facts Hunter chose to include in his flapbook are as follows:

The Newton is the standard international unit of force.  Usually abbreviated as "N".

Forces occur in pairs and can be either balanced or unbalanced

Forces have a magnitude and a direction.

Example: 7N, South

Magnitude: 7 Newtons

Direction: South

Download the Facts About Force flapbook here

(The download is set up so that it can be printed on two different colored papers, as shown above.)

This page has a lot going on!  In a smaller notebook, all of this won't fit on a single page.  Some elements may need to be glued into a smaller notebook the long way.

This flapbook comparing balanced forces, unbalanced forces, and net force includes cut-and-paste definitions to go under the flaps, if you choose to use them.

Download this flapbook here

A rocket launch is the perfect example of unbalanced forces at work!  Hunter glued in the photo (which is included in the download below), then added two different colored arrows beside it showing the direction of the thrust, and the weight of the rocket being pulled in the opposite direction by gravity.  Underneath, he explains:

The thrust of the engines is greater than the weight of the rocket.  The unbalanced force shoots the rocket up.

Just a little rocket math here!  The first problem is simplified for elementary students and asks the student to find the net force behind a hypothetical rocket launch.  The second is tougher, but even a younger kid can do it with guidance and a calculator.  The main lesson for Hunter was how to plug two known values into the equation (Force = mass x acceleration, or F = ma) to find the unknown value.  We worked it out, step by step, with Hunter recording each step as we went along.

Download these page elements here

This page has eight simple problems for calculating net force.  The green arrows show force being applied to the box from each side, with the magnitude of each force noted (all numbers are between 0 and 20 to keep things simple for young kids).  Explain to the student that when the two forces are going in the same direction, you add the numbers together.  When the arrows point in opposite directions, you subtract the smaller number from the larger. 

In the close-up, you can see the forces in this example are equal and opposite.  The net force is therefore 0, and the forces are balanced.

Download Calculating Net Force here

I have a lot more to share from our Interactive Physics Notebook; I hope to have the rest of it up very soon!  Consider following us on Facebook or Bloglovin - there are freebies galore planned for the new school year!

*Interactive Science Notebook - Physics Freebies, Part 2 is now up!  Check it out!

For lots and lots of Interactive Science Notebook ideas and freebies, try our Pinterest board:

Interactive Science Notebook

Or, for more free or DIY physics resources, this board:

Physics for Kids