Concepts of force, friction, and mechanical advantage can sound scary if they are first introduced in a high school physics class. But levers, inclined planes, wheels and axles, screws, wedges, and pulleys are simple machines that all rely on these concepts of physics. Once your child understands that he or she is using these machines and these concepts every day, the intimidation factor disappears. Better yet, with the foundational knowledge of how simple machines work, approaching physics later won’t be so intimidating, when these basic concepts grow more complex.

Now that’s a mechanical advantage if I’ve ever heard of one!

At Nomad, we make an effort to publish books for children with great STEM-related content and activities. Our recently published book, Explore Simple Machines! is just one example. Through stimulating activities, this book presents basic information that all young scientists, engineers, and mathematicians need to know.
 

These are 5 fun ways our book can help you to teach your kids about simple machines in your everyday activities:

• Play on a seesaw and talk about Class One levers.
  
• Ask your child to move leaves with a wheelbarrow and talk about Class Two levers and wheels.
  
• When your child zooms down a slide, talk about inclined planes.
  
• Slice apples for applesauce together and talk about wedges
  
• Ask your child to open a jar of pickles and talk about screws.

Here’s a fun video on simple machines that your kids might enjoy. It’s from Bill Nye the Science Guy!