Build Roller Coasters on National Roller Coaster Day - August 16th

Roller coasters are one of those science lessons that my own students absolutely love!  We start with the foam pipe strips you can find at your local hardware store.  They make the BEST roller coaster tracks.  I cut them in half lengthwise and store them in a tall laundry basket.  You will also need masking tape (get these rolls at the local dollar store) and assorted marbles (you can also find these at the dollar store).  The pipes are reusuable every year!

This can be a one day activity OR it is something you can build on ove a few weeks.  I have students choose a different job each day.  There is a roller coaster pack in my tpt store with multiple labs and vocabulary cards.  Click here to purchase the pack!

After spending some time with the foam pipe insulation, we move on to paper roller coasters!  These you can buy here.  You get 6 sets in one pack or you can order them individually.

These are our paper roller coaster designs!  We also named our coasters and made posters to describe and advertise them!  The posters with the sticky notes have the kids notes about each of the roller coaster skills we experimented with.  These include: loops, hills, corkscrews, tunnels, etc.

The paper roller coasters take us about 2 weeks to create!  The kids learn so much about force and motion in these labs!

Build some roller coasters in your classroom today!