Star Steps Play free

How things work for kids, free

Machines, buildings and inventions. 32 skills from Grade 1 to Grade 6, each a short lesson in Star Steps that explains the idea first, then practises it.

Grade 1

5 skills · ages 6 to 7. Everything in Grade 1

  • Pushes and PullsEvery move starts with one
  • WheelsWhy round things roll
  • Everyday ToolsOne job for each tool
  • Making LightWhere light comes from
  • Float or SinkHow boats stay up
Try a question

A light with a hanging cord is switched on with a?

  • squeeze
  • lift
  • pull
  • shake

Answer: pull

Grade 2

5 skills · ages 7 to 8. Everything in Grade 2

  • Ramps and SlopesA longer, easier way up
  • LeversA bar and a pivot
  • Magnets at WorkQuiet pulls in real objects
  • Building a HouseBottom up, in order
  • Tap WaterThe journey to your tap
Try a question

A screw thread is a ramp wrapped around a?

  • cube
  • cylinder
  • circle
  • triangle

Answer: cylinder

Grade 3

5 skills · ages 8 to 9. Everything in Grade 3

  • PulleysRopes over grooved wheels
  • GearsTeeth that pass on turning
  • Circuits and SwitchesThe loop must be closed
  • BridgesWhy triangles hold up
  • Speaker to EarHow sound reaches you
Try a question

The heavy block hanging on the far end of a lift rope is the?

  • bearing
  • flywheel
  • counterweight
  • gearbox

Answer: counterweight

Grade 4

5 skills · ages 9 to 10. Everything in Grade 4

  • Choosing MaterialsMatch the stuff to the job
  • Rubbish and RecyclingWhere your bin ends up
  • Big InventionsThings that changed daily life
  • EnginesTurning fuel into movement
  • How Planes FlyWings push air downwards
Try a question

An engineer picks a material by matching the job to that material's?

  • name
  • properties
  • colour only
  • price only

Answer: properties

Grade 5

6 skills · ages 10 to 11. Everything in Grade 5

  • Six Simple MachinesThe six building blocks
  • Electricity at HomeFrom meter to socket
  • Water TreatmentMaking water safe to drink
  • Tall BuildingsHow towers stay standing
  • Inside a ComputerThe parts and their jobs
  • How Cars WorkEngine to wheels and stop
Try a question

A machine built from two or more simple machines is called a?

  • compound machine
  • hand tool
  • heat engine
  • mechanism

Answer: compound machine

Grade 6

6 skills · ages 11 to 12. Everything in Grade 6

  • Electric MotorsHow a coil gets spun
  • How Screens WorkPixels make every picture
  • The Power GridFrom station to socket
  • The InternetHow data crosses the world
  • Mass ProductionMaking the same thing cheaply
  • Testing to FailureBreak it before it ships
Try a question

Turn a motor by hand instead of powering it and it works as a?

  • transformer
  • battery
  • capacitor
  • generator

Answer: generator

Start how things work free

Every lesson is free. No ads, and no account needed to start.

Play Star Steps free

More subjects