The 2026 Winter Olympics start tomorrow, bringing athletes from around the world together to compete for a coveted gold medal! Here at Science Sparks, we're looking forward to watching gravity-defying spins, jumps and twists and super speedy slides.
Winter Olympic sports are full of cool science, the games are a bit like a huge, frozen physics lab. Have you ever wondered why a curling stone seems to slide so easily, or how a ski jumper flies through the air for so long? The games are a great opportunity to watch science in action!
I've created a few easy winter Olympic science activities to bring the thrill of the mountain to your living room.
Winter OLYMPIC STEM Challenges
Cool Curling
Curling is a team sport where two teams slide granite stones across a very long strip of ice towards a target. Curling stones are heavy, weighing around 20kg.
Each player has a brush to move the stones and special shoes. One curling shoe has grips, and the other is slippery, allowing them to slide the stone as they play while still gripping the ice when needed. Brushes are used to warm the ice where players want the stone to move. This is called sweeping. Sweeping reduces friction between the stone and ice.
Curling ice isn't smooth like the ice used for skating and ice hockey, it has tiny bumps called pebbles that are created by spraying water on the ice. The pebbles reduce the surface area of the ice that contacts the stone, allowing it to slide more easily rather than just sticking to the ice.
Curling STEM Challenge
This activity uses a paper plate with weights on it to be a curling stone and tests different materials on the underside to reduce friction between the plate and the floor.
Test different materials on the underside of a paper plate to find which makes the plate (the curling stone) move the fastest.
Try rough and smooth materials to investigate which reduces friction between the plate and the floor the most.
You'll need
- Paper plate
- Test materials - bubble wrap, kitchen foil, tissue paper
- Tape
- Coins
Instructions
Tape a few coins to the top of a paper plate. This is just to make it harder to push.
Mark a start line on a flat, open surface.
Gently push the plate and record how far it goes.
Choose one of your test materials and use it to cover the bottom of a paper plate.
Gently push the plate from the start line again. Try to use the same force as with the first plate and record how far the plate travels.
When players sweep the ice, they generate heat that melts the top of the ice pebbles, reducing friction between the ice and the stone and making the stone move faster!
Science concepts
Brilliant Bobsleds
Build a bobsleigh track using kitchan foil and a marble or small ball as the sledge. Record how long the marble takes to complete the track.
Change the gradient (steepness) at the start of the track and record the time taken again.
Science Concepts
Kinetic energy
Potential energy
Super Speedy Luge
Place a coin on one end of a craft stick. This is your luge. Record how long the luge takes to go down a ramp, with the coin at the front.
Move the coin to the middle of the stick and record the time again.
Move the coin to the back of the craft stick and record the time taken to go down the ramp again.
Which coin position makes the luge travel the fastest?
Science concepts
Aerodynamics
Centre of Gravity
Save the Ice Rink
Wrap one ice cube in insulating materials such as bubble wrap, black paper or kitchen foil.
Leave another ice cube on a plate uncovered,
Check the ice cubes every 2 minutes and record which one melts first.
Science concepts
Thermodynamics
Winter Olympics STEM Challenge Sheet
Last Updated on February 6, 2026 by Emma Vanstone
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