Ramp and Roll

Help your children experience the joys of scientific exploration through a ramp and roll activity you can recreate at home!

Playing with ramps and things that roll helps children learn simple principles of physical science and engineering. A ramp is an example of a simple machine called an inclined plane.

“Work” has a specific meaning in physics involving the transfer of energy to an object and making it move. We don’t expect young children to know this. When we say that “simple machines make work easier,” we are using an accurate but young-child-friendly description of what simple machines do and how they help people.