Learn how levers, pulleys and gears let a small force have a big effect, by building machines with Bolt the beaver to lift boulders, crates and flags.
Year 5 science · 1
Year 5 science · 1
Year 5 science · 1
Year 5 science · 1
Year 5 science · 1
Year 5 science · 1
What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:
Levers, Pulleys and Gears is an interactive science game that teaches children aged 8–11 how these simple machines let a smaller force have a greater effect. It follows the Year 5 Forces objective in the national curriculum for England.
Players help Bolt the beaver at Beaver Bay Works. They slide a plank under a boulder and find the pivot, load and effort on levers. They read a forcemeter in newtons to see the push shrink as they press further from the pivot. They thread ropes over pulley wheels, count the ropes that hold up a crate, and turn meshing gears to compare their speed and turning force.
Each chapter has a short animated introduction, spoken narration and a quick check. Gentle hints point out common mix-ups, such as thinking one fixed pulley halves the pull.
Levers, pulleys and gears let a smaller force have a greater effect. The catch is distance: you push or pull further, or turn more times, so a small effort can still move a heavy load.
The pivot is the fixed point a lever turns on, the load is the object being moved and the effort is your push or pull. Pushing further from the pivot, or moving the pivot closer to the load, makes the effort smaller.
A single fixed pulley does not make the pull smaller, but it changes its direction, so pulling down lifts the load up. To need a smaller pull, you add pulleys so that more ropes share the load's weight.
It is designed for children aged 8 to 11 and matches Year 5 science in the national curriculum for England. Spoken narration and step-by-step instructions help younger or less confident readers.
The game has six chapters, two optional refreshers on forces and turning, and a 10-question Grand Mechanism Challenge. Playing everything takes about 50 minutes, and each chapter can be played on its own.
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