Physics Concepts For Kids

This is essentially an uncompromising crash course on physics concepts taught in an engaging way that is meant to cultivate curiosity and appreciation for science. Although we cover a lot of information, my goal is to phrase everything in a way that anyone is able to enjoy and understand. 
We will focus on getting well acquainted with concepts through experiments and thought provoking discussion. Some formulas and math will be shown, but we will always keep things fun.
This course is ideal for students who are motivated to learn, ask tons of questions, and want to be challenged to think and talk about the world in a new way. 

Week 1: Energy
We will begin by discussing the natural phenomenon we notice every day. Things like the heat, movement, electricity, and food.
Will cover energy basics; defining energy, discussing the laws of energy such as conservation and transfer of energy, different types of energy, how living things gain and use energy. We’ll try to answer questions like “how do we know how many calories are in the food we eat?”

We will watch as well as do several simple but enlightening experiments that will help illustrate the nature of energy transfer. How potential energy is stored when “work” is applied to the balls, the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy, and the transformation of energy states. 

Week 2: Gravity 
We will figure out how energy differs from forces. We’ll embark on the journey of understanding what gravity is, what causes it, and its effects on energy, friction, water flow, light, and even time. We’ll examine how objects fall, roll, and swing. We‘ll then learn about how humans use our understanding of gravity to escape the clutches of our planet (and safely return).
We will begin talking about density, and will do experiments to help us gain a new appreciation for how helium balloons and boats stay afloat. 

Week 3: Atoms
This week we will continue building on our understanding forces by getting down to the smallest scale humans have learned to work with; atoms. We will talk about the different models used to help us learn about atoms, ranging from the planetary models we’re used to all the way to the shells and orbitals described by quantum mechanics. 
We will then learn about what keeps atoms together and subsequently how they are able to come together to form the molecules that make up the world around us.
The class will explore the world through the perspective of this minuscule world by examining things like water’s transformation from solid to gas, sticky things, magnets. Things are not at all the way we see them at our massive scale. 

Week 4: Waves 
Everyone always talks about how sound and light travel in waves, but few people try to picture exactly what those waves look like. In the final class of this series we will build small instruments and play around with sound to properly visualize the waves our vibrations make in the air.
After we’re comfortable with sound we will also talk about the electromagnetic wave spectrum. Merging all of the concepts we learned about in the previous weeks we will see how understanding energy, forces, matter, and waves allow scientists to explore the depths of the universe through the magic of physics and math.