Ideas for Principle #14

💡 If we swap the wheels on a shopping cart at the supermarket for balls that spin on an axis, will it move better?

If we slide down a winding slide instead of a straight, regular one, will we move better?

If we try to turn in a straight line, will we manage? Or do we need to make a round turn in order to turn?

Round things move much more easily than straight things - a circle allows movement that's faster and (often) safer than a straight line. 

Do you find it hard to turn in time on your bike, or to stop exactly in place?!
Movement in a straight line with sharp angles causes jolts and sudden stops.

It's worth thinking: where can we swap a sharp corner for a curve, so the movement becomes smoother?

Circles spread out force evenly, so movement around them always feels softer and more flowing.

Ready for a challenge? We've prepared some extra challenges for you to try

Go look together for one object at home with sharp corners, and imagine how it would work if its corners were rounded.

Easy
1. Look together for two wheels or balls at home, and check which of them rolls the easiest.
2. Ask your child which square-shaped object at home bothers them, and what it would look like rounded.

A bit of a stretch
3. Choose together to open a savings plan with interest, and check after a few weeks how the amount grows without any additional deposit.
4. Ask your child to draw the same object twice, once with sharp corners and once rounded, and compare.

Challenge for champions
5. Ask your child to design a new shopping cart or chair with wheels, or parts that spin in places that are currently fixed.
6. Try thinking together about a movement that's hard to do, like a sharp turn on a bike, and plan how a curve would make it smoother.