Talk About It: How to Build a Ramp from Sticks
"What are you going to build first, Sally?" ... "I don't know. With enough sticks, you can build anything."
PBS KIDS believes in the power and importance of shared media moments. When adults and children take time to talk about what they watched together, both understanding and relationships can be built. Take a few moments to watch this video and answer the questions below - or make up a few of your own!
In this video from The Cat in the Hat, Sally and Nick find a snail who is trying to climb up to higher ground. What can they do to help? They can build a ramp! Together with your child, watch the video to find out how Sally and Nick built the ramp and then think about other possible solutions to help the snail.
Talk About It:
- The engineering design process has five steps: 1. Define a Problem, 2. Imagine & Plan, 3. Create, 4. Test, and 5. Improve. How do Sally and Nick use the engineering design process when creating the ramp? Does their final design work? Why?
- How else could Sally and Nick have helped the snail climb to higher ground?
- At the end of the video, Sally says, "That felt good. Building something to make life easier for someone." Can you think of something that you can build that would make life easier for someone that you know?
The Cat in the Hat introduces scientific inquiry skills, teaching core science concepts and vocabulary while taking your preschoolers on fun-filled adventures.