Hills and flat land
Geography · Early Years · The School
What flat land feels like
Flat land stays the same height all the way across. A playground is often flat. A field can be flat too. Walking on flat land takes the same effort the whole way. Running on it is easy because nothing pulls you up or down.
What a hill feels like
A hill goes UP on one side. The going-up side is called a SLOPE. Walking up a slope takes more puffing than flat land. Walking down a slope is easier — sometimes too easy, and you have to slow yourself down. A steep slope goes up fast. A gentle slope goes up slowly.
Games change on a hill
Roll a ball on flat ground. It rolls a little way, then stops. Roll the same ball down a slope. It speeds up and rolls much further. A game of chasing is different on a hill too — running down is fast, running up is tiring. The shape of the land changes what happens on it.
Find a real hill or a grassy slope near you. Stand at the bottom and look up. Stand at the top and look down — it often looks steeper from up there. Walk up slowly, counting your steps. Now walk down the same way. Which way needed more puffing? Which way was faster? That is exactly what a slope does to a body and to a ball.