Kindergarten · Science · week 23

Change direction with a bump

Investigate how a bump, or a push from a new direction, changes the path of a moving object.

A moving object keeps going the same way until something pushes or pulls it differently. A bump is a quick push that can send a rolling ball off in a brand new direction.

Where the bump happens matters. A ball hit straight on might bounce straight back, while a ball hit off to the side might veer sideways instead.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Set up a simple obstacle, like a block or a shoe, in the path of a rolling ball.
  • Test bumping it at different spots or angles and compare the direction changes.
  • Ask for a prediction before every single roll, not just the first one.
  • Look for real-world bounce examples together, like a basketball off a backboard.
Talk about it:
  • What happened to the ball's direction when it hit the block?
  • What do you think would happen if you moved the block to a different spot?
  • Where else have you seen something bounce off something else?

Mastery looks like: They correctly predict and describe that a bump, a push from a new direction, changes a moving object's path.

Common stumbles: Expecting the ball to simply stop instead of changing direction; not watching closely enough to describe exactly which way it went.

Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Science for this learner.
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