Coat-Hanger Scales

What they explore

Activities like this help children learn about weight and understand terms like lighter than and heavier than.

It also encourages them to think scientifically as they make a prediction, then test to see if they are right.

What you need

• coathangers with clips (such as skirt hangers) or normal coathangers with clothes pegs as clips
• a clotheshorse (or something to hang things from)
• small bags or hats such as baseball caps or beanies
• various items to weigh

What you do

Hang a coathanger from a clotheshorse. Then hang two more hangers from this one, one at either end. Use the clips or some clothes pegs on the first hanger to stop the other ones from sliding.

Get your child to try hanging various objects from the ends of the two lower hangers and see whether they balance or not. Some things can be draped or clipped straight on to the hangers, while trickier objects can be placed in bags or hats that are clipped or pegged to the hangers.

Ask your child which things they think will be heavier and which will be lighter.

If you want to build on this activity, add some extra hangers to the lower ones to create more spots for attaching items. You can now try balancing many combinations of things.

What to ask

• Which side is heavier or lighter?
• Do you think this will be heavier than that?
• Will these two things weigh more than that one?