Leo's Busy Morning
Leo's ball is on the grass. Nobody is touching it.
Will the ball roll away by itself?
Page 1
Science · Kindergarten Science
Chapter 1: Pushes and Pulls
Two ways to make something move.
Leo's ball is on the grass. Nobody is touching it.
Will the ball roll away by itself?
Make your guess to turn the page.
Still to come: 7 pages · Words to Know · What We Learned · 4 questions · Ask and Wonder
The idea this lesson is working on — Young children often believe things can start moving on their own. The book opens and closes on a ball that sits still until someone kicks it, so the child sees the wrong idea fail before hearing the right one. Ask: what made it move? Something always touched it first.
Away and toward — At this age the easiest test is direction. A push sends a thing away from you; a pull brings it toward you. The same door can be pushed or pulled, depending on which side you stand.
Why one word for two things — Scientists call both a force because both change how something moves. Your child does not need the word to understand the idea. They need to notice that something always had to push or pull first.