Montessori Activity: Teaching Concept of Heavy & Light

Activity Duration: 5 - 15 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To teach the concept of heavy and light in a fun way
2. To teach the law of gravity in a concrete way

Materials:
1. 1 see-saw balance scale
2. 1 bowl filled with items such as a few fanta colour pegs, 1 small teddy bear, 1 handful of cotton wool, 1 lego brick, 1 container of play dough, 1 soft ball, 1 pom pom, 1 stone, 1 mobile phone, 1 bath toy, 1 sponge, 1 ping pong ball, 1 marble, 2 lego men, 1 bottle cap, 1 shell, 1 wooden block, 1 styrofoam , 1 hazelnut, 1 pasta, 1 pebble, 1 chalk, etc.

Directions:
1. Pick 2 items to compare.

2. Ask your child to guess which item is heavier, and which is lighter. Let him hold them each in his hands.

3. Then drop the item onto each side of the scale simultaneously and see if your child is correct. You will have a lot of fun and laughter when the answer is reviewed.

Additional Information:
Joshua (3Y1M1D) tried this activity this evening and at this age, he had a lot of fun with it, compared to a few months ago. He guessed the most of weight of the items correctly. He tried to be cheeky, and wanted to drop the items straight away on the scale, without guessing and we had to take the scale away first, until he had made his guess.

References:
http://nurturingthetenderyears.blogspot.com/2011/05/homemade-balance-for-learning-about.html

Montessori Activity: Balancing Weights

Age: From 3 years old

Activity Duration: 5 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To teach the concept of heavy and light in a fun way
2. To teach the law of gravity in a concrete way

Materials:1. 1 see-saw balance scale
2. 1 bowl filled with fanta colour pegs or dry beans

Directions:
1. Add a few of the pegs or beans in the left container one at a time until the container begin to sink.

2. Tell your child that weight of the pegs will lower the container down and lift the empty container up.

3. Add a few pegs or beans to the other container one at a time, until the containers balance each other.

4. Tell your child that equal weight will balance the see-saw scale.

5. Encourage your child to try and experiment.

Additional Information:
I tried this with Joshua, but made the mistakes of making it complicated with styrofoam, marbles and pegs, and Joshua lost interest. He could not see the purpose of this game. I then make this simplified version with only pegs, but I still don't think he Joshua is developmentally ready for this. I think I will try again when he is 3 years old.

References:
http://nurturingthetenderyears.blogspot.com/2011/05/homemade-balance-for-learning-about.html