Students study 'Force in Motion'
PORT CLINTON - Second graders at Immaculate Conception School put Isaac Newton’s laws of motion to the test on Thursday.
With the help of Ottawa County 4-H’s outreach program, students tried hands-on experiments to explore the forces of motion, like gravity and inertia, and even created a homemade rocket.
Melissa Wright, program assistant for the Ottawa County 4-H extension office, said guiding the students through hands-on activities keeps them engaged and excited to learn about the topic.
“It really helps to reaffirm everything that we’re talking about,” Wright said.
Each student tested out inertia, which is an object’s resistance to change its state of motion, with a smaller version of the old tablecloth trick, instead pulling a sheet of paper out from under a stack of paper cups — and trying to keep the stack from toppling over.
Another experiment had the students look at Newton’s third law of motion, which is that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, by creating a "rocket" with a balloon, straw and a long piece of string.
When it was all put together and a balloon full of air was released, the straw was launched down the line across the classroom, much to the delight of the students.
Wright said the activities are also aimed at allowing the students to make their own observations as well.
“They come up with some very good ideas, often things adults may not think of,” she said.
Ottawa County 4-H will return to Immaculate Conception School on Friday with different activities to explore "Force in Motion."