Not Wedgies! WEDGES!

Oh, dear, we seem to have another problem. We really need to split this piece of wood into two pieces. (You're going to have to use your imagination here!) Yesterday, we used a simple machine called a ramp to help us do more work with less effort. But which simple machine could help us do this job?



What we need is some sort of inclined plane that helps split things apart. Something like a...wedge!



Wedges have a pointed edge that makes it easier to push materials apart. Which end of the nail is easier to push into the cardboard? The flat end? Or the pointed wedge-shaped end? The wedge end helps push the cardboard fibers apart.



Wedges are all around us. The blade on an ice scraper is wedge-shaped. So are the blades on scissors and nail clippers. (Scissors and nail clippers are wedges attached to levers.)



Our front teeth are wedge-shaped so we can bite into apples! The blade of a shovel is a wedge that helps push the dirt apart, and the wedge-shaped tines of a fork get between your food and your plate.

Here is a really cute wedge...



We're making an In the Hands of a Child lapbook to record all the cool stuff we're learning about simple machines...



Hey, Mom! Aren't you using little wedges inside a lever there?