Youth Activity Archive

Activity Description: Play a matching game to see how six simple machines are used to build vehicles.

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Items Needed:

• Every Day Simple Machine Cards
• Six Simple Machine Cards
• Chart paper or poster board
• Marker
• (Optional) Real items that use simple machines like a screw-top jar, doorstop, scissors, toy car, window shades, or a slide

Before the Meeting Starts:

1. Create the Vehicle Poster. (5 min)
   • Draw a large, blank outline of a Moving Truck vehicle on the chart paper to make a vehicle poster.
   • Add a car wheel, gas cap, gear shift, parking wedge, ramp on the back, and seat belt on the drawing. Keep the drawing simple, as it is just to give everyone a visual to wonder about.
2. Set up the room. (5 min)
   • Place the Six Simple Machine Cards face up in the center of where the youth will sit in a circle.
   • Place the Every Day Simple Machine Cards face down in the center along with any optional real items.

Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 25 min):

1. Explain Simple Machines. (5 min)
   • Gather everyone in a circle around the prepared cards and items.
   • Explain that a simple machine is a tool that makes work easier by using less force. When engineers combine them, they create compound machines. The six types Simple Machines are the wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, lever, pulley, and wedge.
   • Go over the Six Simple Machine Cards briefly so everyone can see the image and hear the definition.
2. Match to the Vehicle Poster. (5 min)
   • Show the poster and explain the moving van has six vehicle parts drawn on it. Ask the group to match the simple machines to the drawn vehicle parts. Discuss all six vehicle parts verbally to ensure they know which simple machine would match each part.
     • Inclined Plane: Moving truck ramp.
     • Lever: Gear shift.
     • Pulley: Seat belt.
     • Screw: Gas cap.
     • Wedge: Parking wedges.
     • Wheel and axle: Car wheel.
3. Relay game. (7–15 min)
   • Place the six simple machine cards around the room outside of the circle. Ensure the youth know where each card is located before the game begins.
   • Ask the person sitting to the right of the leader to draw a Every Day Simple Machine Card, run to the correct simple machine, stack the Every Day card on top, and race back to tag the person to their right.
   • Continue this process until all Every Day Simple Machine Cards are sorted.
   • (Optional) If real items are available, have those included in the sort and used after all Every Day Simple Machine Cards are sorted.
4. Verify the sorted stacks and complete a quick review. (5 min)
   • Check all stacks quickly to ensure all items were sorted correctly.
   • Explain any incorrect matches clearly.
   • Give one point to the group for each correctly sorted card to see how close they get to the possible total of 36 points.
   • Remind the youth that vehicles are compound machines because they combine many simple machines to work together.

Leader Answer Key for Matching Cards:

Inclined Plane

• Ramp on a Moving Truck (Automotive)
• Playground slide
• Staircase
• Wheelchair ramp
• Slanted roof on a house
• Driveway slope

Lever

• Gear Shift (Automotive)
• Playground seesaw
• Pair of scissors
• Door handle
• Light switch
• Hammer removing nail

Pulley

• Seat Belt Pull (Automotive)
• Flagpole rope mechanism
• Window blinds cord
• Fishing rod reel
• Garage door lifting cable
• Gym weight machine

Screw

• Gas Cap (Automotive)
• Jar lid
• Light bulb base
• Water bottle cap
• Screw
• Corkscrew

Wedge

• Parking Wedges / Wheel Chocks (Automotive)
• Rubber doorstop
• Kitchen knife blade
• Axe
• Thumbtack
• The tines of a fork

Wheel and Axle

• Car Wheel (Automotive)
• Bicycle wheel
• Round doorknob
• Rolling pin
• Steering wheel
• Pizza cutter

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Click Here -> To see information References:

Disclaimer: The information published on Youth Activity Archive and The Badge Archive is built from the references listed below. These sources demonstrate that our content is grounded in facts and research, not opinion or speculation. Readers may consult them directly when looking for additional material.

• Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. “Meeting : Automotive Engineering 1.” My.girlscouts.org, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., https://my.girlscouts.org/content/girlscouts-vtk/en/vtk.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.

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