The Science of Playgrounds

The Science of Playgrounds — page 3 — The type of slide will change the way gravity moves the person down it The top of the slide is a flat surface It’s covered by a plastic roof There’s a bar to hold on to Emily uses the bar to get in position She sits at the top and inches over the edge Then she lets go of the bar and puts her hands on the sides of the slide She pushes off She takes the first turn slowly But she starts to go faster as she swirls down the slide She’s going fast enough that she feels like she could fly off the end 6

The Science of Playgrounds — page 4 — When Emily’s ride is over she climbs off and waits for Jayden He comes speeding down the slide after her They rush to get back in line for another turn DOWNWARD SLIDE Playgrounds can be different from each other But just about every playground has a slide Some twist around Some follow straight paths to the ground No matter what type of slide a person goes down THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY Some kids don’t have access to playgrounds at their schools or in their communities But it’s important for all kids to have safe playgrounds available Playgrounds can have many benefits for kids Students at an elementary school in Texas get multiple recesses a day This is because studies have shown that kids learn better after breaks for playing and moving It makes the students healthier Playgrounds also help with physical and mental growth Playground equipment can help kids develop their strength and other skills Interaction with other kids on the playground helps them with their social skills too 7

The Science of Playgrounds — page 5

The Science of Playgrounds — page 6 — certain forces will act on that person Forces are pushes and pulls on an object Two main forces that act on people going down slides are gravity and friction Gravity is a force that pulls everything toward Earth’s center When people jump up they fall back to the ground because of gravity Gravity is always acting on objects including people When a girl is on the flat surface at the top of a slide gravity pulls her toward the ground But the surface beneath her keeps her from falling When she moves forward the surface beneath her changes It is sloped This means the surface isn’t flat It is slanted toward the ground When the girl is on the slide the sloped surface doesn’t push back up on the girl as much as the flat surface did So gravity pulls her toward the ground It moves her down the slide The steeper the slide the more quickly gravity can pull her down It is safest to go down a slide feetfirst 9

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