Tour de Force
On this page, you can connect with games, videos and activities to learn more about this topic!
STEM Grades K-3
A Thing or 2 about Simple Machines
Take a look at pulleys, levers, wheels, and ramps! In this short video from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, the Cat takes us on a tour of Machine-a-ma-zoo, and demonstrates simple machines, with some help from Thing 1 and Thing 2.
A Thing or 2 about Simple Machines (Part 2!)
What can you do with simple machines? In this short video from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, the Cat takes us on a tour of Machine-a-ma-zoo, and demonstrates simple machines, with some help from Thing 1 and Thing 2.
Super Grover 2.0: Pulleys
A group of birds needs help getting a grand piano up into their nest. Super Grover 2.0 arrives to help them try different tools to lift the piano.
Song: I’m a Lever Lover
Sutton Foster and Elmo croon about their love of levers! Levers can be used to lift things, like a slice of cake from a pan.
STEM Grades 4-6
Trebuchet
Angus and Jonathan are into really old-school stuff: medieval history! When they’re not building castles, playing joust, or reading about knights, they’re engineering stuff. They’re most recent invention is called a trebuchet.
Building Simple Machines: A Glass of Milk, Please
Imagine the most complicated process you could go through to simply pour a glass of milk. Then multiply that by 10. The image in your mind is probably approaching the level of complexity the ZOOM cast members achieved with their milk-pouring machine.
Levers: Raising the Moai on Easter Island
Levers are simple machines that can help amplify lifting force. As the scientists and local participants discover, even with the mechanical advantage of a lever, the challenge is decidedly difficult and extremely time-consuming.
