A multi-team head-to-head competition to find the right tire!

Age group: 4-8

Number of students recommended: 25

Subjects/skills learned: Physics theories, principles and equations

Object of the game: The team that has all members seated on tires first wins.

Setup: On each of the tires, use chalk to write a word or phrase that corresponds to the skill level required (the word/phrase you write will be the answers to the questions you call out). Divide the class into two teams, and have each team line up. Both lines should start on the same side of the playground, one on either side of you, the teacher.

Game Play: The teacher will call out a science question whose answer corresponds to one of the words written on a tire (for example, if the teacher has written ‘gravity’ on a tire, he/she could call out “the force that attracts a body towards the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass”). The first student from each line/team competes head-to-head to figure out the answer to the question, and locate the tire with the corresponding correct answer written on it (teammates may help!). When the tire has been located, the student sits atop that tire. The student who finds the answer to the equation first wins the round and remains seated atop the tire for the duration of the game. The other student will go to the back of their team’s line, and they can play again. The teacher will call out a new math equation for the next two students.

Game Conclusion: The team with all their team members seated on tires first wins!

Examples: The term “Newton’s first law” is written on a tire and the teacher ask the student to find the principle that states that “a body in motion will stay in motion.” The student who sits on the tire with ‘Newton’s first law” first wins.

Tips and Variations:

• Divide into 3 or 4 teams instead of 2.
• Do not allow teammates to help the competing member find the correct tire.