Posts tagged: Simple Machines

In the Simple Machines app, kids play with a wheel and axle, lever, pulleys, screws, wedges, and an inclined plane. Here are six, free printable activities to bring learning into the real world.

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In Simple Machines, kids experiment with wheels and axles by sending a cyclist through an obstacle course. In this activity, you can see how wheels and axles work by getting outside and going for a ride together!

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In Simple Machines, kids twist a set of screws to lift and hold up a trio of sloshing fish tanks. In this activity, you can test the self-locking abilities of screws by seeing if water splashes out of a container when dropped.

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In Simple Machines, kids split an iceberg egg in half with different wedges. With this printable activity, you and your kids can see how a wedge works together.

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In Simple Machines, kids use pulleys to send satellites into orbit and birds into flight. In this printable activity, you can build a simple pulley together.

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“What is a machine?” We asked dozens of kids when researching Simple Machines. Machines use electricity, they said. Machines are big, complicated, metallic; they’re like dishwashers, windmills, or trains.

Next we asked, “What is the simplest machine you know?” Many kids named computers, tablets, and phones. Their answers surprised us, but they shouldn’t have.

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In Simple Machines kids can use a lever to launch objects and destroy a castle. In this printable activity, you can build a lever together.

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Simple machines are everywhere and we use them everyday. They’re so much a part of our lives that we don’t always recognize them. But once you start thinking about them, it’s hard not to see them — everywhere, everyday!

Above, Youngna used a screwdriver — a wheel and axle — to take apart bookshelves before moving. Here are a few more examples we’ve noticed lately.

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In Simple Machines, kids can use inclined planes to make music in an arcade. In this printable activity, you can build one together.

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Every app we make gives us the chance to explore new ideas from different perspectives — including that of the artist we’re collaborating with to illustrate the app. For our newest app, Simple Machines, that artist was James Gilleard. Here’s a little more about his process, working life, and inspirations.

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