Objective:
The students will experiment with friction.  (This lesson is to be combined with the Math Lesson.)

Materials

• Gingerbread Cut-Outs

• Straws

• Masking Tape

• Rulers or Unifix Cubes

• A clock with a second hand or stop watches

• Different surfaces to have "Gingerbread Runs" - smooth floor, carpeted area, pavement, or grass.

Procedure

1. Read the Math Lesson in advance.

2. The students should continue in the same manner timing their gingerbread runs.  However, they should now vary the surfaces.  The distance of their runs should remain the same.  For example, one pair of students may time their runs on a smooth floor, on a carpeted area and then on pavement.  Have the students record their times on the Gingerbread Runs on Different Surfaces Worksheet.

3. Incorporate a discussion on friction.  Explain that friction is a force which can help objects move more easily or with more difficulty depending on their surface.  Relate your discussion to real life situations such as sliding on the ice.

Other Lesson Ideas

1. Using any of the recipe links on the Gingerbread Home Page, make a gingerbread product.