Games
Seesaw
In this game, kids create a cardboard seesaw to balance different objects exploring weight and object.
Materials
- Cardboard
- Sausage Stick
- Straw
- Masking Tape
- Scissors
- Paper Cup
- Pebbles
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Checklist
Older game
how to play
Divide the children into small groups of 2. Begin with a story, such as going to a playground but finding there’s nothing to play on, so they decide to create a fun balancing game. Provide each group with two paper cups as bases, a cardboard strip for the plank, and a round cardboard piece to act as the pivot. Challenge them to balance the plank on the pivot and place small objects on each side to see how it moves. Encourage experimentation with object placement, weight, and balance. If they struggle, give hints like: What happens when a heavier object is closer to the middle? How can moving lighter objects farther out balance it? Make sure each child gets time to place objects, adjust, and explore, helping them learn about weight, equilibrium, and hands-on problem-solving.
Challanges
- Create balance between two sides of the seesaw with the same materials.
- Create balance using different size or weight of the materials.
- Given two different quantities of the materials, create balance without changing the weight of the materials on either side.
Questions to be asked
- Can you make the seesaw go up and down without touching it? How?
- What happens when you add more weight on one side of the seesaw?
- What happens when the objects are kept closer and farther to the fulcrum?
- What happens when both sides have equal weight?