I’m showing you how to make a Newton’s cradle with popsicle sticks for a fun and educational homeschool project.
You have likely seen the contraption with spheres clacking back and forth on desktops.
This is called Newton’s cradle which demonstrates his third law.
It is a device that shows the conservation of momentum and the conservation of energy with swinging spheres.
Newton made amazing contributions to science and math and was considered the father of modern science, and the first physicist.
He was the epitome of STEM long before it ever became a catchphrase.
While STEM/STEAM is an important part of everyday homeschooling, National STEM/STEAM Day is celebrated annually on November 8th.
And I think learning how to make a Newton’s cradle with popsicle sticks is a fantastic way to observe it.
5 Isaac Newton Facts
If you are looking for a great reference book to have on hand that covers scientists from early times to modern Superstars of Science is a fantastic entertaining book.
It is a book for elementary through middle school students to enjoy and learn the people behind the inventions, laws, and more including Newton.
Then, look at these facts about Sir Isaac Newton.
- Sir Isaac Newton was an English polymath (someone whose knowledge covers a wide range of subjects in particular arts and sciences) He was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author.
- Newton has 2 birthdays. He was born on January 4th, 1643 on the Gregorian calendar, which we use today. Back in the 17th century at the time of his birth the Julian calendar was used and according to that, he was born on December 25 1642.
- The story of the apple falling on his head is only partly true, he did witness an apple fall from the tree and it gave him the idea of gravity, but it didn’t hit him on the head.
- Newton founded the branch of math called Calculus, mechanics, and optics and was key in the advancement of early modern chemistry.
- While he is most famous for his 3 laws, he had many other contributions like being one of the first to make a reflecting telescope.
Books About Sir Isaac Newton for Kids
Next, add some of these books about this famous scientist.
7 Books For Kids Who Love Learning About Sir Isaac Newton
He was one of the most important scientists of his times. Your children will love adding some of these books to their reading day.
Famed for his supposed encounter with a falling apple that inspired his theory of gravity, Isaac Newton (1642–1727) grew from a quiet and curious boy into one of the most influential scientists of all time. Newton's Rainbow tells the story of young Isaac―always reading, questioning, observing, and inventing―and how he eventually made his way to Cambridge University, where he studied the work of earlier scientists and began building on their accomplishments. This colorful picture book biography celebrates Newton's discoveries that illuminated the mysteries of gravity, motion, and even rainbows, discoveries that gave mankind a new understanding of the natural world, discoveries that changed science forever.
A biography of Isaac Newton.
A biography of the seventeenth-century English scientist who formulated the theory of gravity.
Born in England in 1643, Isaac Newton grew up in the age when Renaissance thinkers were challenging accepted ideas throughout Europe. Fascinated by all earthly science, Newton developed laws of motion and universal gravitation which also furthered our understanding of the movement of celestial bodies. This vibrant biography profiles the famed physicist as an acclaimed mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, philosopher, and inventor as well. Readers will discover the genius who inspired Alexander Pope to write.
Sir Isaac Newton is one of history's most renowned scientists. He independently developed the mathematical technique known as Calculus, wrote a treatise on the properties of light and color that is still consulted by scientists, and worked out the mathematical details of the law of gravity. What is less well known is the depth of his Christian faith, and the amount of writing, speaking, and research he devoted to defenses of the tenets of Biblical belief. This book makes Newton come alive for readers.
A surprising true story of Isaac Newton’s boyhood suggests an intellectual development owing as much to magic as science. Before Isaac Newton became the father of physics, an accomplished mathematician, or a leader of the scientific revolution, he was a boy living in an apothecary’s house, observing and experimenting, recording his observations of the world in a tiny notebook. As a young genius living in a time before science as we know it existed, Isaac studied the few books he could get his hands on, built handmade machines, and experimented with alchemy—a process of chemical reactions that seemed, at the time, to be magical. Mary Losure’s riveting narrative nonfiction account of Isaac’s early life traces his development as a thinker from his childhood, in friendly prose that will capture the attention of today’s budding scientists—as if by magic. Back matter includes an afterword, an author’s note, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.
Isaac Newton and Physics for Kids paints a rich portrait of this brilliant and complex man, including 21 hands-on projects that explore the scientific concepts Newton developed and the times in which he lived. Readers will build a simple waterwheel, create a 17thcentury plague mask, track the phases of the moon, and test Newton’s Three Laws of Motion using coins, a skateboard, and a
model boat they construct themselves. The text includes a time line, online resources, and reading list for further study. And through it all, readers will learn how the son of a Woolsthorpe sheep farmer grew to become the most influential physicist in history.
Additionally, look at Newton’s laws.
Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion
Newton’s First Law – “Law of Inertia” – Every object moves in a straight line unless acted upon by a force. Example- a ball will roll down a hill unless something stops it-friction or another object for example.
Newton’s Second Law – “Law of Acceleration” -The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force exerted and inversely proportional to the object’s mass.
Example- In karate, breaking a board or slab of bricks.
Newton’s Third Law – “Law of Interaction” (also “Law of Action and Reaction”)– For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Example- Firing a bullet, when shot from a gun, the gun puts a force on the bullet and propels it forward.
Also, look at more ideas to learn about Sir Isaac Newton.
More Ideas for Learning About Sir Isaac Newton
- Isaac Newton’s Quotes & Copywork
- Gravity and Isaac Newton Experiments
- Isaac Newton Study And Science Lessons
- Making Newton’s Laws Easy
- Then grab some minibooks About Sir Isaac Newton and His Apple on my Apple Unit Study and Lapbook page.
How To Make A Newton’s Cradle With Popsicle Sticks
You will need:
- 12 jumbo craft sticks
- String
- 6 marbles
- Hot glue gun/glue sticks
- Scrap wood (old Jenga blocks)
First, use hot glue to create a square out of 4 craft sticks.
Take 2 craft sticks and mark every half inch along the stick starting 1 ½” in on each end.
Glue one to the top of another craft stick to form a T, be sure the marks are facing outward.
How To Make A Newton’s Cradle
Add another stick to the bottom of the T to create a capital i.
Make two of these.
Attach one of the capital i’s to the square base with a generous amount of hot glue and use a small piece of scrap wood like the old Jenga block I used here.
You want to be sure the marks you made on the top stick face in toward the square base center.
Cut 8 six-inch pieces of string.
Fold each string exactly in half.
Hot glue a marble to the very center of each string.
On the opposite capital i piece that you have not attached to the base yet hot glue each string right over the top of the marks you made.
Line up the tips of the strings with the edge of the top, then cover with another craft stick.
This tidies it up a bit and helps keep the strings more secure.
Attach the second capital i to the opposite side, affixing again with a scrap of wood to stabilize and strengthen it.
When the glue is dry lay down the frame and hot glue the other end of the string over the other marks on the cross piece lining it up with the top.
Place upright and check to make sure that the marbles line up at the same height, once you are satisfied with that, glue another stick over the strings.
To use, pull back on one marble and release, as it hits the second one the kinetic energy is transferred, and it stops while the next one moves to hit the 3rd and it repeats over and over until the energy dies out.
