Sparks’ Crew notices that ice cream cones are pointy on the bottom. You can’t make an ice cream cone stand up by itself. The cone doesn’t balance. It wobbles and falls down. You and your child can use your Superpowers of Science! Your child can investigate different objects and predict which shapes can balance. Then help your child test it out and observe what happens! What shapes balance? What shapes fall down?

Materials

• 3 sheets of paper
• Several non-breakable objects of different shapes: pencils, markers, crayons, small toys, small boxes, spoon, toothpaste tube, plastic containers

Directions

1. Set out the three sheets of paper in a row. At the top of the first paper, write “balances.” At the top of the second paper, write “sometimes balances.” And at the top of the third paper, write “does not balance.”
2. Stand with your child, with two feet on the floor. Then both try standing on just one foot! What is different about standing on one foot? Did you and your child feel wobbly? Explain that balanced objects do not fall over, like when we stood on two feet. Objects that are not balanced fall over, like when we wobbled on one foot.
3. Your child can choose an object. Encourage your child to notice the different sides and edges the object has. Your child can predict whether the object can balance on all of its different sides!
4. Your child can try balancing the object on all of its different sides. If the object balances on all of its sides, place it on the paper that says “balances.” If the object balances on some of its sides, place it on the paper that says “sometimes balances.” If the object does not balance on any of its sides, place it on the paper that says “does not balance.”
5. Your child can choose a different object. Encourage your child to predict and test whether this object balances. Repeat placing each object on its corresponding paper.
6. Your child can test as many objects as they wish. Ask your child, “What kinds of sides help an object balance?” Listen to your child’s science ideas!

This craft comes to you from the creators of Hero Elementary.

Iowa PBS STEAM Activities and Crafts provided by PBS KIDS Parents.