Roller Coaster Science
About the Teacher
Mrs. Kimberly Rogers joined YPW Camps July. She is a Texas Certified teacher and holds certifications in Early Childhood Education thru 8th grade. She also has her ESL certification and 30+ course hours in Gifted and Talented. Her course specialization areas are Science and Mathematics.
She has earned two college degrees, both in Interdisciplinary Studies. She graduated with her BS degree from the University of Houston and received her AA degree from San Jacinto College also in Houston, Texas.
She comes to the camp with a personality that gets the kids motivated and eager to learn. She builds on that excitement by providing students with lessons and activities that are discovery based, hands-on, exploratory and FUN….
A note from the teacher & some of the things the campers learned while in camp
The objective of this week was to explore the physics of how roller coasters are made and the mechanics needed to make them go. They learned how they work and gained knowledge about several inventors and scientist that helped make roller coasters what they are today. Students learned why you do not fly out of your seat when amusement park rides turn upside down. They learned how/why Frisbee’s fly? How cotton candy made and popcorn is made? The camp was packed with amusing experiments, projects and activities.
Monday – Campers began the week by studying the related vocabulary associated with the physics of roller coasters. They put their knowledge to work as architectural designers as they designed their own roller coasters and created an advertisement to persuade people to want to ride it.
Tuesday– Campers continued exploring the fun and excitement of how roller coaster became what they are today. They learned about Sir Issac Newton’s Laws and Bernouili’s Principle of Flight. They gained knowledge of how and why things fly and stay in motion. Campers used their knowledge to test scientific theories by using Frisbee’s, Paper Airplanes and Helicopters. The students top the day with a discovery lesson on the chemistry of how popcorn is made in both conduction and radiation form.
Wednesday– Campers began to explore the excitement of building a roller coaster. They had to go a scavenger hunt to find items that would make a roller coaster safe and mechanically sound. Campers had to use the scientific method and work as a team to get their roller coaster to work. Students completed the day with computer roller coaster simulations.
Thursday– Campers continued their exploration of the world of amusements parks by learning how cotton candy is made. The campers designed their own amusement park tickets and learned a valuable lesson in money management. The campers closed the day out by participating in “ A Day At the Carnival”. The campers played various amusement park games and learned about probability in a fun and exciting way.
Friday– Young People ended their magnificent week, with learning what it takes to be an engineer. Campers learned that to build a roller coaster it takes a combination of simple machines such as the use of levers, pulleys, wheel/axels, screws and inclined planes. The focus for the day was the different types of engineering, specifically mechanical engineering and physics. The campers used their knowledge and designed and created their own working roller coasters.
Click here to download the 2013 YPW Camps Catalog