Spinning Snake Science Activity
How to Teach Energy and Motion to Elementary Kids
Let’s combine the fun of an art activity with the depth of a science lesson.
You'll love how easy it is to follow this step-by-step guide, and your kids will love creating their own spinning snake!
Grab your free Science Activity Templates and let’s get started 🐍🧪🎨
More of an auditory learner? Watch/listen to the art tutorial here!
Scroll down to read through the art activity guide.
Grab the complete NGSS-aligned project here.
How to Teach Energy + Motion
Learn all about energy and motion with a few simple teaching tips!
Your students will love bringing home this spinning snake, too.
1. Begin with an interesting story about energy and animals.
“ High in the Amazon rainforest, an emerald green boa coils tightly around a tree branch.
She is completely still—not moving at all. As a clever predator, she knows this helps her blend in while also saving energy.”
This is one of the many intros you can use to hook your elementary student’s attention and start them wondering about energy and motion.
You could also try some other animal stories!
An emerald tree boa about to strike her prey
A monkey pushing over a mango
A bird flapping its wings faster and faster
Get the full emerald tree boa story in my Snake Motion Project.
Clipart by Abbey Allen, ARTventurous Animals
2. Introduce Energy and Motion Terms
There are certain terms kids need to know to be able to understand how energy and motion are related. But the vocabulary portion of the lesson is usually the part where students lose the most interest! How do we get and keep their attention?
ART
You can use art to keep them engaged in several ways:
Draw out what they think the term means
Cut and paste terms to definitions
Color in doodle notes about the topic
Clipart by Abbey Allen, ARTventurous Animals
3. Have kids identify real-world examples
Get everyone up and moving for this next part! Have your kids move around the room, house, or classroom and look for examples of energy making objects move.
NATURE INTEGRATION: Take them outside! They might see wind rustling the grass, a raindrop rippling the water in a pond, or a leaf falling to the ground.
Be ready for questions and discussion with this part!
4. Check for understanding
Make sure these terms aren’t going in one ear and out the other by checking for understanding. You could do this through a series of questions or a collaborative activity.
If you’re not wanting to create your own assessment, grab mine inside my Spinning Snake Motion Project!
Clipart by Abbey Allen, ARTventurous Animals
5. Hands-on project
Now let’s actually do something creative with all the information we’ve learned!
Print out the snake template from the Free Science Activities Template Pack.
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for step-by-step instructions!
6. Experiment and document findings
Here’s where understanding can stop too soon. Once students have made their projects, keep asking questions.
Encourage them to get up and experiment with their snakes.
What happens when you tap it?
What happens when you run with it?
What happens when you throw it?
Have them write down their answers so they can see their thoughts and draw some conclusions about energy and motion’s relationship.
An entire Recording Sheet of questions and prompts are inside my Spinning Snake Motion Project. Check it out!
Clipart by Abbey Allen, ARTventurous Animals
Spinning Snake Science Activity Guide
🎨 AGES: 8-11
🎨 SUPPLIES:
-Scissors
-Coloring Supplies
-String or yarn
-Chopstick or straw
🎨 ART GUIDE:
Here’s how you can use this with your kids!
Download this Free Science Activity Template Pack.
Print the worksheet and Student Guide.
Color in the snake.
Make sure you color in the snake before cutting it out! This makes it much easier and faster for kids to complete.
To make the snake look like an emerald tree boa, color yellow swatches in the middle of its back. Then color the rest dark green.
2. Cut out the snake.
Start where the head and body meet. Then, continue cutting closer and closer into the circle. Cut out the leftover lines piece of paper at the center.
3. Tape and tie the string.
Cut a piece of string (about a foot long) and tape to the tail of the snake.
Then, tie the other end of the string to a chopstick or straw.
The snake should hang down from its tail when held up.
4. Play with the snake.
At this point, your kids are going to be wanting to play with the snake!
Let them play with the snake without asking any questions or giving any instructions…at least not yet.
5. Test out speed and motion!
Now that your kids have played with the Spinning Snake, ask them some questions about it.
What makes it move slowly?
What makes it move quickly?
Holding the snake behind you as you run was our favorite way to play around with energy and motion!
I hope you enjoyed this How to Teach Guide! If you haven’t joined already, subscribe to the How to Teach Science Series to get free Science Activity Templates, tips and tricks, and exclusive content!
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Spinning Snake Activity FAQ
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The Spinning Snake Activity is a paper craft used to teach kids about the relationship between energy and motion.
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You can download it by joining the How to Teach Science Series Email List right here: https://artventurousanimals.com/free-science-activities
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You can teach your 4th graders all about energy and motion through
1. an interesting animal story intro,
2. an engaging vocabulary activity,
3. real-world connection,
4. checking for understanding with an exit ticket,
5. completing a hands-on spinning snake activity,
6. and asking follow up questions while kids experiment
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Abbey Allen at ARTventurous Animals has already done that for you! Get the complete Snake Motion Project here. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Motion-Science-Project-for-4th-Grade-NGSS-Hands-on-Energy-Activity-14205538?utm_source=Snake%20Blog&utm_campaign=Motion%20Science%20Project
Want more How-to Guides?
Check out my Blog Series!
Grab your NGSS Snake Motion Project here!
If you make this snake activity, please upload a photo in the comments below :)
Happy ARTventuring!
