A machine doesn’t need an engine. A ramp, a wheel, a see-saw and a flagpole rope are all simple machines: clever shapes that make a push or a pull go further. In Lever Land, Year 2 scientists find them hiding in playgrounds, kitchens and toolboxes.
What your child will learn
- Know that simple machines make work easier
- Name six simple machines: ramp, wheel and axle, lever, pulley, wedge and screw
- Spot simple machines in everyday objects
- Explain how a ramp or a lever helps to move a heavy load
Less push, more distance
Simple machines don’t do the work for us — they trade effort for distance. Pushing a box up a long ramp is easier than lifting it straight up, but you have to push it further. A long lever lets a small push lift a heavy load.
Six to spot
A ramp is a slope. A wheel turns on an axle. A lever tips on a pivot, like a see-saw. A pulley is a wheel with a rope for lifting. A wedge, like an axe or a knife, splits things. A screw is a ramp wound round a rod — jar lids and bottle tops are screws.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. A playground slide is a…
- ramp
- lever
- pulley
- wheel
Show answer
Answer: ramp. A slide is a smooth ramp.
2. What do simple machines do?
- Make work harder
- Make noise
- Make food
- Make work easier
Show answer
Answer: Make work easier. Simple machines help us lift, move and cut things with less effort.
3. Which of these has wheels?
🚲- A bicycle
- A book
- A spoon
- A ladder
Show answer
Answer: A bicycle. A bicycle rolls along on two wheels.
Tips for grown-ups
- Go on a machine hunt at the playground: slide, see-saw, roundabout, swing.
- Roll a toy car down ramps of different steepness and see which is fastest.
- Balance a ruler on a pencil and lift a rubber with one finger — move the pencil and try again.