PEGGY PROBLEM PEGGY
PEGGY PROBLEM PEGGY PROBLEM Peggy Problem PEGGY PROBLEM Activity Card Aunt Stella looks out of her kitchen window. “Warm and windy . . . looks like the perfect washing day,” she declares as she rolls up her sleeves to wash her clothes. PEGGY PROBLEM When they are all clean, she carries the heavy, wet pile outside to hang on the washing line to dry. Cosmic and Gem’s friendly faces appear at the garden gate. “Just in time to help,” Aunt Stella smiles and soon the washing line is filled with brightly coloured T-shirts, socks, skirts and jumpers. The three of them head into the house for a well-deserved glass of apple juice. “Oh no!” Cosmic shouts with surprise, “Some of the clothes have fallen off the line onto the grass! I don’t think your clothes pegs are grippy enough for the heavy, wet clothes.” “We’ve got different clothes pegs at home, perhaps they would be better,” suggests Gem, looking thoughtful. “We could test them for you, Aunt Stella,” they offer eagerly. Aunt Stella thinks a peg with a spring will have the most grip Cosmic thinks all the plastic pegs will have a tight grip Gem thinks wooden pegs might be better as she thinks wood is stronger Have you ever helped to hang clothes out to dry at home? What type of clothes pegs did you use? Your challenge Hunt for different types of clothes pegs and find out which are good for keeping washing on the line.
Discuss Plan with a buddy how you can test different clothes pegs. How are you going to find out which pegs are strong and grip things well? Getting started Collect different types of clothes pegs. Make your own washing line with a thin skipping rope or string. Don’t fix it too high. Choose one peg to hang a long sock on the washing line. Try other pegs and see which type has the strongest grip (can hold the most sand in the sock). Stand well back from the falling socks and don’t rub your eyes with sandy fingers. Keep filling the sock with cups of sand until it falls off the line. Make sure you keep track of how many cups of sand you use! Test your ideas Can you think of other ways to test clothes pegs? Share your ideas PEGGY PROBLEM Paint a picture of your tests. You can use the best peg to hang your picture on the washing line until the paint dries. Extra things to do Find out if clothes dry better on a windy or a still day. Find out if some clothes dry faster than others. Try to work out how to dry clothes on a rainy day. British Science Association Registered Charity No. 212479 and SC039236
