Boing! Have you ever jumped on a trampoline? Trampolines are fun! But believe it or not, the first trampolines were not made for fun. They were made to keep people safe.
Shutterstock.com
The History of Trampolines
Jump back in time to learn about this awesome invention!
By Meg Richardson
From the December 2023/January 2024 Issue
Learning Objective: Learn the facinating story of this fun invention.
Lexile® measure: 500L
Vocabulary: acrobats, experimented, springs, Olympic Games, compete
Topic:
Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
Firefighter Trampolines
About 150 years ago, firefighters used trampolines called life nets. Firefighters brought the life nets to fires in tall buildings. People jumped out of buildings onto them.
Now firefighters have tall ladders on their fire trucks. They use the ladders to get people out of buildings. This is a much safer way to do it!
Acrobat Trampolines
Acrobats also used to use trampolines. Acrobats are people who do flips, spins, and other tricks in the circus. They would land on trampolines if they fell.
About 100 years ago, a teenager named George Nissen went to the circus. He saw acrobats fall onto trampolines. It looked fun! It gave him an exciting idea. What if he made a trampoline that was just for having fun?
Trampolines for Fun
Dian Nissen
George Nissen
George went home and got to work. He experimented. He tried different designs. He used springs from his bed. Finally, he made a trampoline. Then he started a trampoline company.
People loved the trampolines! Towns set up “bounce centers” where kids could play. Gas stations bought trampolines too. Kids could jump after sitting in the car for a long time during road trips.
Trampolines Today
Today some people have trampolines in their yards. There are trampoline parks too.
Trampolines even became part of the Olympic Games 23 years ago. The best trampoline jumpers in the world compete there. Next time you jump on a trampoline, you’ll be part of the history of trampolines too!
Trampoline Timeline
© London Fire Brigade/Mary Evans Picture Library/Age Fotostock (Safety); Jamie Squire/Getty Images (Olympics); iStockphoto/Getty Images (Child); Shutterstock.Com (Park)
150 years ago: trampolines for safety
23 years ago: trampolines at the Olympic Games
Today: trampoline parks
Activities
(3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
More About the Article
Social Studies Focus
Long ago and today
Vocabulary
acrobats, experimented, springs, Olympic Games, compete
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Implementation
- Small group; whole group; independent reading
Pairings and Text Connections
From the Storyworks 2 archive:
- “Are Trampoline Parks a Good Idea?” (December 2020) Students can discuss the pros and cons of trampoline parks. Then they can think about how this debate connects to the history of trampolines.
Before-Reading Resources
- Text Preview Bookmarks
(10 minutes) Kids can cut out the nonfiction bookmark and use it to preview the text.
- Play the Vocabulary Slideshow
(5 minutes) Help students become familiar with vocabulary words they will see in the article.
(10 minutes) Kids can cut out the nonfiction bookmark and use it to preview the text.
(5 minutes) Help students become familiar with vocabulary words they will see in the article.
Suggested Reading Focus
Nonfiction text features (20 minutes)
- Point out the orange bar on the right side of the page. Do students know what this is? Hint: It says in the red headline. (It’s a timeline.)
- Explain that a timeline shows the order in which things happened. You can see how long ago each thing happened on the arrow.
After-Reading Skills Practice
(15 minutes for each activity)
- Quiz: Comprehension check
- Crossword Puzzle: Students can familiarize themselves with words in the article by doing a fun crossword puzzle.
Text-to-Speech