Starting With the Big Picture

Students in our Cycle 2 class  began by establishing that a force is simply a push or a pull, before zooming out to explore how forces have shaped the Universe itself. Drawing on the Montessori Great Stories, students connected this new learning to phenomena they already knew: the Big Bang, planets in orbit, the growth of living things, and early humans crafting the first tools. This habit of grounding science in meaningful, real-world context is central to the Montessori approach, and it gives children a genuine reason to care about what they’re studying.

Hands-On Experiments Across Six Force Types

From there, students moved into practical investigations covering gravity, friction, tension, applied force, static force, and magnetic force. At every step they made predictions, followed procedures, recorded results, and analysed their findings, working through the full scientific process, not just the fun parts.

A highlight was exploring contact vs. non-contact forces: the idea that gravity and magnetism can act across a distance without anything touching sparked some of the most lively discussion of the unit. Students also investigated how variables like surface texture, object weight, and distance between objects can change experimental outcomes entirely.

Mixed-Age Collaboration in Action

Throughout the unit, students worked in cooperative groups, with older children naturally stepping into leadership roles to guide and support their younger peers. The qualities on display went well beyond physics: teamwork, communication, and responsibility were woven into every investigation.

What’s Next

This unit will soon extend into Simple Machines, where students explore how forces are used to make everyday tasks easier. Watch this space for more hands-on physics from our classroom.