Wheels all around

The wheel and axle is a simple machine. The centre of a wheel is attached to a rod – called an axle.

Ask your child to find different wheels and axles around the home.

Some examples might be toys such as cars or trucks, your child’s bike or scooter, or gardening tools such as a wheelbarrow.

Ask your child to predict how far each object would travel in three turns of the wheel.

Next, measure the distance each object travelled in three turns and ask your child to compare to their earlier predictions.

Encourage them to notice a relationship between the size of the wheel and the distance travelled in one turn.