*Ask students to share objects from home that use simple machines.

*Have students draw an object that uses simple machines and label it.

*Conduct experiments using gears, springs, pulleys, wheels, levers, and inclined planes. Don't forget to record the data and graph it!

*Have students design their own "Rube Goldberg" inventions. Then, have them write each step and label the simple machines in their designs.

*Play Mouse Trap and identify the simple machines found in the game.

(Mitchell, Rita Riebel (2007).Simple Machines: Making Work Easier. Connected Newsletter. 23.)