Newton's Notions

Get hands-on with Newton's three laws of motion! Explore concepts like inertia, acceleration, and reaction forces. We've designed an exciting curriculum filled with engaging and memorable physics activities, including making balloons into rockets, measuring friction, and building a simple "hovercraft." 

Our highly engaging kit includes a full-color student curriculum workbook and teacher guide with detailed, step-by-step instructions for seven activities (plus extras!) designed to engage your student in the laws of motion and how they were developed. The student experience has inquiry-based activities and assessments designed to enhance your student's understanding of physics and the world around them. Designed to provide over 16 hours of education and entertainment, both teacher and student will be able to open the box and start within minutes.

In this kit, the student will engage in these fun activities:

1. Watch what happens to objects in a spinning water-filled tube.
2. Put Newton's First Law into practice and be able to to explain why some objects just stay still.
3. Make a Newton's Tube, which isn't quite Newton's cradle, but works similarly.
4. Race different balls down ramps to learn how gravity fits into Newton's Second Law.
5. Explore a new type of force - friction - through the measurement of the drag on a weighted balloon.
6. Use the power of air to make balloons into simple rockets and learn about Newton's Third Law.
7. Investigate buoyancy and density while making an easy hovercraft toy.
8. Keep the physics fun rolling with a variety of engaging optional extensions!

Use this Newton's Notions lab kit to answer questions such as:

• What is inertia?
• How are force, mass, and acceleration connected?
• How do action and reaction forces work in real life?
• How did Isaac Newton develop the laws of motion?

Our Newton's Notions kit is a part of the Science Unlocked Launch series and is recommended for grades 8-12. Prior to completing Newton's Notions, we recommend the prerequisite kit Controlling Collisions!

Having trouble deciding which Science Unlocked curriculum is right for your student? Let us help you pick your kits! Simply take our Science Unlocked quiz to discover which kits we recommend for you and your student. Science Unlocked is uniquely designed to accommodate all levels of learning. There's a kit for everyone!

Interested in learning more? Check out our Student Workbook Sample and Teacher Guide Sample! 

Scissors safety: Get an adult's help for cutting thicker materials like cardboard and plastic. Always cut away from your body.

More Information

This kit contains:

• 3 Balloon, extra-large (16-inch)
• 3 Balloon, medium (9-inch)
• 1 Blank compact disc
• 1 Card stock, 8.5 x 11 inches
• 1 Clear plastic cup, 9 oz
• 1 Clear plastic drinking straw
• 2 Cork, small (No. 2)
• 1 Dropping bottle, 30 mL
• 1 Fishing line, 2 yards
• 1 Masking tape, 0.94 inches x 40 yards
• 1 Ping-pong ball
• 1 Plastic tube, 1.5-inch diameter, 8.75-inch length
• 2 Rubber cap, 1.5-inch diameter
• 1 Spring scale, 100 g / 1 N
• 5 Steel ball, 0.5-inch diameter
• 1 Steel ball, 1-inch diameter
• 4 Wooden dowel, ¼-inch diameter, 12-inch length

You will also need:

• Scissors
• Small cardboard box or other light object (optional)
• Variety of rough and smooth surfaces
• Water