ABSTRACT
This chapter explains about where children can apply their understanding of materials and forces to explore the science of a skateboard. A skateboard is made up of three main components: a deck, trucks and wheels. There are a number of forces to consider such as gravity, air resistance and friction. The speed at which a skateboard travels may be affected by different forces such as friction acting on the wheels and air resistance on the body. Friction can be good for skateboarders, e.g. grips on shoes to stop them from slipping on the deck and the wheels gripping the ground when cornering. The weight of the skateboarder increases friction on the axles and between the wheels and the ground which can make the skateboard slower. Use graphics software to design a new skateboard logo for 'Ollie' the toy. Children explore the effect of using different fonts, colours and backgrounds to create the logo.
