Last month, our preschoolers engaged in a fun science exploration using a balance scale to investigate the concept of weight through hands-on measuring activities. At the beginning of the exploration, the children noticed that the balance, which had two clear buckets, remained level when both buckets were empty. They then experimented by placing heart-shaped gems into the buckets, adding them one at a time and placing more gems in one bucket than the other. Through this exploration, they discovered that the bucket containing more heart-shaped gems became heavier and moved downward, while the lighter bucket moved upward.
To extend this learning, we revisited the balance scale this month to further explore the concepts of weight and volume using water and measuring cups. The preschoolers eagerly observed as their peers scooped water with the measuring cups and poured it into the clear buckets. They noticed that when both buckets contained the same amount of water, the balance remained level. As they experimented by adding or removing water, they observed how the balance shifted depending on the amount of water in each bucket. Following the investigation, the children enjoyed water play, observing how the flowing water made the two water wheels spin and how it travelled through the funnels. Noah D., Danilo, and Leo showed great interest in the measuring activity and enthusiastically explored the water. Leo remarked that the bucket balance looked like a “teeter-totter”, making a meaningful connection to something familiar from his everyday experiences. This hands-on exploration encouraged the children to develop early scientific thinking as they made observations, predictions, comparisons, and explored cause and effect through trial and error. The activity also supported the development of early mathematical concepts, including measuring, comparing, estimating, and balancing.
