The Summer 2016 Olympics are just starting in Rio. There is a lot of science involved in the events and we will examine a few in the mission this week.
Did you know that there are over 40 different sports that are part of the Summer Olympics? Check out the list of the Summer Olympics Sports HERE. How many have you tried?
For Mission 8, you can pick and choose which of these challenges you want to do. You can do just one, two or you can do all three. Each challenge can earn you Brain Power Points if you write up a Mission Report for it.
Challenge 1: Body Challenge
To get to the Olympics, you need to know how your body works and moves. Your mission this week is a Body Challenge from the United Kingdom. Challenge yourself to see if you can do the things shown in the pictures. Ask your science buddy to do them with you! Were any of them difficult for you to do? Did you have to practice any of them in order to do them? Keep track of this on your Mission Report.
Challenge 2: Balance Beam
The balance beam is an event in the Olympics. Try an experiment to check your balance.
Challenge 3: Reaction Time
Go to this link: Zap!
It is a game to test your reaction time.
Do a trial run the first time.
Then record your reaction times in a chart like this in your Mission Report.
Don't forget to keep a record of what you did in your Mission Report. Share what you learned with a comment below and earn Brain Power Points!
If you are interested in more of the science behind the Olympics, you can watch as few of these videos with your Science Buddy. Go to the Science of the Summer Olympics website. You will find a series of videos all about the engineering involved in the Olympics. You can watch a video and write a Mission Report to explain what you learned by watching a video. You can write two video Mission Reports to earn extra points.
For fun, learn about the 2016 Summer Olympics Mascots. GO HERE.
Did you know that there are over 40 different sports that are part of the Summer Olympics? Check out the list of the Summer Olympics Sports HERE. How many have you tried?
For Mission 8, you can pick and choose which of these challenges you want to do. You can do just one, two or you can do all three. Each challenge can earn you Brain Power Points if you write up a Mission Report for it.
Challenge 1: Body Challenge
To get to the Olympics, you need to know how your body works and moves. Your mission this week is a Body Challenge from the United Kingdom. Challenge yourself to see if you can do the things shown in the pictures. Ask your science buddy to do them with you! Were any of them difficult for you to do? Did you have to practice any of them in order to do them? Keep track of this on your Mission Report.
Challenge 2: Balance Beam
The balance beam is an event in the Olympics. Try an experiment to check your balance.
- Stand on both feet in the middle of the room.
- Try to balance for 30 seconds.
- Pickup one foot and stand like a crane. Do not use anything to help you balance. Can you balance this way for 30 seconds?
- Try the other foot. Can you balance just as well on your right foot as on your left foot
- Keeping both feet on the floor,just like you started with above, close both eyes and try to balance for 30 seconds. Compare the difficulty of the two tasks. Was it easier or hard to keep your balance with your eyes closed?
- Try it standing on only one leg with your eyes closed! What did you learn about your balance?
- Make your own balance beam out of a measuring stick or some tape on the floor. Can you walk along that line and keep your balance? Try it! How many times do you have to practice to get it just right? Does it matter how fast you move across the beam?
Challenge 3: Reaction Time
- In what kinds of real-life situations is it important to react quickly? Record your ideas on your Mission Report.
- What would happen if you had a slow reaction time in these kinds of situations? Write this on your Mission Report too.
- How does practice affect a person's reaction time? Why do you think this happens? This is your scientific claim. What you think and why it happens. Make sure to record this in your Mission Report too!
Go to this link: Zap!
It is a game to test your reaction time.
Do a trial run the first time.
Then record your reaction times in a chart like this in your Mission Report.
Don't forget to keep a record of what you did in your Mission Report. Share what you learned with a comment below and earn Brain Power Points!
If you are interested in more of the science behind the Olympics, you can watch as few of these videos with your Science Buddy. Go to the Science of the Summer Olympics website. You will find a series of videos all about the engineering involved in the Olympics. You can watch a video and write a Mission Report to explain what you learned by watching a video. You can write two video Mission Reports to earn extra points.
For fun, learn about the 2016 Summer Olympics Mascots. GO HERE.