Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Making buckets for the scale
• Part 3 of 3: Using the new scale
• Necessities

Learning to balance weights is a useful skill for young children, and a balance scale is a great way to teach them. By making a balance scale, you can lay a solid foundation for physics in one afternoon. All you need to get started are a few simple household items.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Making buckets for the scale

1. Find a clothes hanger with notches. A plastic, metal or wooden coat hanger is suitable as long as it has a notch on either side of the hook. Otherwise, the paper cups will slip and fall off the scale.
   • If you don't have a notched clothes hanger, you can use some more string to tie the handles of the paper cups to the bottom of a regular clothes hanger so they don't fall off.
2. Let your kids decorate the cups of their new scale. Get out stickers, markers and crayons and let your kids personalize the scale. They will enjoy playing with it and learning from it if they can give it their own personal touch.
   • One way to decorate the scale is to help your kids write their name on it.
   • Do not attach anything too heavy to the cups, otherwise it may interfere with the operation of the scale.

Part 3 of 3: Using the new scale

1. Help your kids find items to put on the scales. Any item will work, as long as it is small enough to fit in the paper buckets you made. Some fun items you can try to weigh are:
   • Your kids' favorite little toy.
   • Different stones that your kids will find outside.
   • Small fruits such as strawberries, blueberries and grapes.
2. Let the children experiment with the different objects in the cups. If the object in one cup weighs more than the object in the other, the heavier cup will drop and tip the scales. Explain to your children that the lower bucket contains the heavier item and the top bucket contains the lighter item.

Necessities

• Clothes hanger with notches
• Hole puncher
• Two paper cups
• Strings
• Scissors