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Gravity: Why Things Fall, From Garden to Space

Gravity: Why Things Fall, From Garden to Space

Discover why things fall with gravity: snip strings, drop balls around the globe and repeat Galileo's famous test in this Year 5 science game.

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What you'll learn

  • What 'unsupported' means and why unsupported objects fall towards the Earth
  • Gravity is a pull between the Earth and every object
  • Gravity works across a gap, without touching, like a magnet
  • 'Down' always means towards the centre of the Earth
  • Heavy and light objects of the same size fall together
  • How Galileo and Isaac Newton helped explain gravity

Chapter by chapter

  1. Unsupported objects fall towards the Earth

    Year 5 science · 1

  2. Gravity: a pull between the Earth and a falling object

    Year 5 science · 1

  3. Falling towards the Earth: which way is down all around the world

    Year 5 science · 1

  4. Galileo and Newton: scientists who explained falling objects and gravity

    Year 5 science · 1

  5. Gravity Challenge (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 5 science: Explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object

About this adventure

Gravity: Why Things Fall is an interactive science game that teaches children aged 8–11 why unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of gravity, matching the Year 5 forces objective in England.

Guided by Pip, a friendly narrator, children slide a table from under a book, snip a lantern's string and let go of a ball. Each time they see that an unsupported object, one with nothing holding it up, falls. They learn that gravity is a pull acting between the Earth and the falling object, and that it works across a gap without touching.

Next they zoom out to a globe to find that 'down' means towards the centre of the Earth for everyone. Then they repeat Galileo's test with a heavy ball and a light ball and tap Newton's apple. A 10-question Gravity Challenge checks what they have learned.

Questions and answers

What is gravity, in simple words?

Gravity is an invisible pulling force, and the Earth's gravity pulls everything towards it. It is why unsupported objects fall to the ground, and why you always land after jumping, even though nothing touches you to pull you down.

Do heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones?

No. A heavy ball and a light ball of the same size dropped together land at the same time, as Galileo showed about 400 years ago. Very light things like feathers fall slowly only because the air gets in their way.

Why don't people in Australia fall off the Earth?

People in Australia don't fall off because gravity pulls everyone towards the centre of the Earth, wherever they live. 'Down' always points towards the Earth's centre, so in Australia down is the ground under their feet, just as it is in the UK.

What age is this gravity game for?

It is designed for children aged 8 to 11 and matches the Year 5 science objective on gravity in the national curriculum in England. Younger children who are curious about why things fall can also enjoy it with a grown-up's help.

What does the gravity game include and how long does it take?

It takes about 35 minutes to play everything. There is an optional warm-up on pushes and pulls, four narrated chapters with hands-on experiments and a 10-question Gravity Challenge. Children can pick any chapter from the map.

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