What are some good ideas for a Gymnastics related Science Fair Project?

[MdGymMom01]

My 4th grade dd has a science project due and I thought it might be interesting for her to do something related to gymnastics. I was thinking of doing something related to balance and the senses or how gymnastics is related to physics (on a 4th grade level). Does anyone else have any other good ideas?

Thanks guys for any and all input!!!!

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[bogwoppit]

Science Project on hearing and Balance? - Yahoo! Answers

Just a quick thing I found. It would be a demonstration of how the senses of sight and hearing affect a gymnasts ability to perform on a balance beam. It could be show and tell, but also audience participation with a beam and a blindfold. Also simple enough for a grade four to explain.

[bogwoppit]

More, go to page 6 in this online book, they have some cool facts, and it is all kid level info.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=4jWzEQf99scC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=science% 2Bproject%2Bbalance%2Bgymnastics&source=web&ots=Sr 3uvmHQYw&sig=5-pKG8z6o6Xc7k-SOlv4bxXQj54&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct =result#PPA9,M1

[bogwoppit]

Yet more

BALANCING BERNIE: SPORTS AND BALANCE

Can you tell I like science projects?

[MdGymMom01]

Thanks Bog!!! You are such a great help (as always!!!). I think a balance project using the beam would be good project to play around with. It would be cool to do something with physics and the vault but it may be too complicated to carry out. That video of that little girl Maddi scoring a 9.9 on her level 4 vault got me inspired!!!

[NYgymfan]

Those are great ideas. Last year for my physics project I did an analysis of some conditioning exercises and simple gymnastics moves to determine the amound of force you have to exert to do it. For example, doing push-ups with each hand and foot on a scale. About 2/3 of your weight is in your arms

[MdGymMom01]

I was also thinking of videotaping back hip circles on bars, one fully extended the correct way and one where you tuck your legs in and time the difference of completion of the skill. This would show how when there is more mass (or it is spread out) it spins slower than a tight ball. Not sure if this would be too complicated to demonstrate on white poster board...

[kiwiflyer]

I did a science project using the vault when I was younger (not as young as fourth grade), but still. From what I remember (and this is going back a few years), we got a few different gymnasts and had them run as fast as they could down the runway, jump on the springboard and jump as far as they could with a straight body without a vault table in the way and just a mat to land on (to see if the run up speed had any effect on how far they could jump). So that we didn't have to calculate speed, we kept the distance to the springboard the same and just measured the time (which matches indirectly with speed). It's a good idea to make sure the kids can all jump properly and with a tight body. hope that helps.

[gymgymgymnast08]

My teammate did a physics project as a senior about how she tore her ACL. I don't really know much about physics so I'm not sure exactly what she did in the experiment. But she like videotaped lots of people doing fulls which is what she tore it on.

[hopeeternal]

you could also get 'momentum' and 'gravity' in there...
giants or sole circles on the uneven bars or spins on the balance beam.