Balance And Weigh
A coat hanger, two cups, and the discovery that big does not mean heavy.
- Ages
- 4–10 yrs
- Play
- 20–40 min
- Prep
- 8 min
- Mess
- barely any
- Energy
- calm
- Where
- at the table
You’ll need
Things you probably have at home.
- kitchen scales, or a coat hanger and two cupsDon’t have it? Amazon
- small things to weigh
Optional
- stringDon’t have it? Amazon
- two identical cupsDon’t have it? Amazon
- paper to record resultsDon’t have it? Amazon
How to play
Before you start: If you are making a balance: punch two holes in each of two cups, hang one from each end of a coat hanger with string, and hang the hanger from a door handle.
Put one object in each cup and see which side goes down.
Ask them to predict before each new pair, out loud. Predicting first is the whole lesson.
Find the object that beats everything.
Balance it: how many beads does it take to match one toy car?
Write the answers down — 'one car equals nine beads' is a sentence they will repeat all week.
What it helps with
Keep it safe
- Hang the balance somewhere it cannot fall on anyone.
- Small counters are a choking hazard for younger siblings.
Make it different next time
- Weigh identical-looking objects that are secretly different: a full and an empty container.
- Weigh things on the kitchen scales too and compare numbers.
Cleanup: Untie the cups and put the hanger back.
Three more like this
Learn something
Walking Water
5–20 min 4–11 yrs Low mess- six clear cups
- food coloring
- paper towels or coffee filters
- water
- Good for siblings
