In Science this half term, Poplar Class have been learning all about forces and magnets. 

We began by investigating how different surfaces affect the movement of a toy car. Working in teams, the children used a range of materials to create ramps, including wood, rubber, carpet, foil, silk, plastic and tissue paper. Each group carefully chose a secure place to set up their ramp so that the angle stayed the same throughout the investigation. This helped us to make it a fair test! 

We placed the toy car at the top of the ramp, let go and measured the distance it travelled. We quickly spotted some interesting patterns. Smooth, flat surfaces allowed the car to travel much further and more quickly, while rough or bumpy surfaces such as carpet slowed the car down or even stopped it completely! 

We then learned an important new scientific word: friction. Friction is a force that happens when two surfaces rub against each other. It acts to slow things down. The children used this word confidently to explain why the cars moved easily on smooth materials and why they struggled on rough ones.

In our next lesson, we explored magnets. Using the same selection of materials, we tested which ones were magnetic and which were not. The children worked with bar magnets and discovered that some metals can be attracted to magnets, while other materials cannot. We discussed patterns in our results and thought about magnetic objects we might find around our homes.

Well done to Year 3 for being super scientists. You worked carefully, asked thoughtful questions and carried out both investigations brilliantly!