Kids always enjoy weighing every item. They often play “Which one is heavier?” game and you can now help them make a balance scale at your own home. Side by side you can also educate them about gravity. This easy and educational activity inspires your kids to build a homemade balance scale using a plastic hanger and some supplies you probably have at your home. Then they can use their handmade balance scale to measure plastic chickens. This is an excellent activity for introducing the kids to the concepts of weight and measurement. So let us add little balance to our day-to-day life.
About Balance Scale Activity
This amazing kid’s activity includes a plastic coat hanger, some string, and a couple of paper cups and allows kids to see how the weight of objects relates to one other. You can make your young ones a hanging balance they can use to experiment with weights. Or, if you have an older child, take their help in making the scale as well!
To boost their sense of experimentation, you may ask them lots of questions. With lots of interesting questions and elements, this easy homemade scale can be a STEM project you return to again and again. It’s not always a piece of cake for kids to see how objects link with each other, particularly regarding size and weight. That’s where an easy homemade balance scale can come in handy.
Supplies Required For Balance Scale Activity
- Plastic Coat Hanger
- String or yarn
- A single-hole punch
- Two identical paper cups
- A pair of scissors
- Measuring tape
- Masking or packing tape
Steps Involved In The Balance Scale Activity
- First of all, mark two pieces of string two feet long and cut.
- Now create holes to connect the string to the cups. Then make a mark one inch below the rim on the outside of each cup.
- Have your kid use the single-hole punch to create holes in each cup. Now punch a hole on either side of the cup, along the 1-inch mark.
- Now connect the hanger to the wall, using a cup hook, doorknob, or a level bar for hanging clothes or towels.
- After this, attach the string to each side of the cup and let it sit in the notch of the hanger. The string should hold the cup like the handle of a bucket.
- Repeat this procedure with the second cup.
- Now ask your kid to steady the hanger to make sure the cups are hanging at the same level. If they are not, correct the string until they are balanced.
- When they look even, use a piece of tape to fix the string in the hanger’s notches.
You may now explain to your kid how the scale operates by putting a penny in each cup and then adding another coin to one of the cups. The scale will shift toward the cup with multiple coins in it.
Compare The Weight!
Once you are ready with your homemade balance scale, it’s time for your kids to try it out. You may ask your kids to take out some of their smaller toys and examine the scale. Once they get the hang of it, you can help them compare the weight of various items and inform them about how to compare them. Moreover, you can also inform them about units of measure. A penny can represent a standard unit of measurement, and we can use it to represent the weight of different things by a common name. This easy and engaging activity brings home several lessons. Making a scale teaches your kid elementary physics as well as standardized measures, and provides you a great opportunity to learn along with your kid.
