Balancing Scale Activity

Oliver loves an experiment where he can be totally hands on (I think most kids do)!  This particular experiment created great learning opportunities in both the areas of Science and Math. I searched online for how to make a homemade balance scale and found a very easy and effective example on Pintrest.

This particular balance scale only required a hanger, two cups and some string to build. We built the scale the day before we did the activity and both Oliver and Ellie got out their basket of cars and started playing!

On day two of the balance scale Oliver and I got out our clipboard and were ready to do some real investigation!

 I designed this particular worksheet for Oliver to compare the weights of some of the objects around the house.  I placed all of the objects in a plastic bag and had Oliver take them out in pairs as we needed them.  He then placed the two objects opposite each other in the cups and had to determine which object was heavier.  I had him make a prediction before he placed the items in the cups.  After he saw which item was heavier he was to circle that object on his worksheet. 

Weight Activity Worksheet:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-4_yroOwt-aakRFdzE5OWpSYWc/edit

Weight/ Block Comparison Worksheet:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-4_yroOwt-aYzI2ZF8xa3cwcjg/edit

In the second part of our investigation Oliver had to place objects of his choice in the cup on the left of our scale and balance the scale on the right side using colored blocks.  We then were able to see how much each item weighed in blocks.  Oliver was able to estimate how many blocks he thought an item would weigh before we began placing the blocks in the cups.

**Teaching Tip: This is an example of a really simple way to engage young ' minds with some more advanced mathematical concepts in a fun way!  Oliver was able to gain experience using estimation, counting, weight and balance and had a blast doing it. Recording the results on a simple graph also helps them to apply the information they are learning and revisit it another time for discussion..."Remember how much the train weighted in comparison to the scissors?"

The finished product!

Our Conclusion and Discussion Time:

1) When we finished weighing all of the items and recorded all of our weights in blocks Oliver was able to answer some very simple questions about the graph that we created.  We talked about our graph and which items weighed the most and which weighed the least. 

2) We also compared the piles of blocks from each object and compared weights.  I wanted him to be able to tell me which piles were the largest and smallest without having to count them out one by one.  This helps him to build his number sense, understanding a pile that looks bigger will have more blocks in it.

3) I noticed that he had tried a new technique as we were weighing the blocks and encouraged him to explain his reasoning...instead of placing one block in the cup at a time, to balance the scale, he was placing groups of connected blocks in.  He had noticed that if an item was heavier in the cup, it was going to require more blocks on the right. He reasoned that it was more effective to place the blocks in several at a time.  

**Teaching Tip: When doing investigations alongside your children, make sure to give them room to make their own discoveries and encourage them to discuss their thinking with you.  This will help you as their teacher understand how they think and will give you the opportunity to further their thinking with thought provoking questions.