7

Lesson 7 of 30 · Forces

Lesson30 XP Spark Lab

Friction Slows Things Down

Friction Slows Things Down
🧪Lab Brief #7

Friction Slows Things Down.

🎯 Your mission

Understand the idea. Then look for it everywhere.

⚡ The twist

Energy never disappears — it just hides somewhere else.

🤯

Mind = Blown

🎢 You feel weightless on a roller coaster because you and the seat are falling at the same speed.

🔮

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: which will move faster, and why?

What You'll Learn

Friction is the force that slows things down. Rough surfaces have more friction than smooth ones.

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Steps

Step 1Read

Look at the new words. Can you say each one?

Step 2Do

Push a toy car across the carpet, then across a smooth floor. Measure how far it goes each time.

Step 3Observe

Look for something that changed. What is it?

Step 4Record

Circle the correct answer on your worksheet.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What does friction do?

🌍

Where you see this in real life

You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.

🏆

Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Time how long a small ball rolls down something, then change the slope and try again.

👨‍👩‍👧

For the dinner table

Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

🌍Share card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

Ready?

Friction Slows Things Down

Understand the idea. Then look for it everywhere.

Full screen — no distractions

🖨️

Checkout complete lesson on Forces for 1st Grade

Get the full Forces track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

View in Shop

Your Cart (0)

Your cart is empty

Browse our shop to find activities your kids will love

Friction Slows Things Down — Forces | 1st Grade Science | LittleActivity