Tip the Scales

Episode 31                                                                     Planet: Technology

Learning concept of the episode: Moving things can balance each other and balance is affected by weight and position.

Story Summary

Bing and Bong land on the Tiny Planet of Technology, only to dodge bricks as they plummet from the sky. They soon realise that the bricks are actually falling out of a basket controlled by two construction Flockers working on a building. At the base, the Sheepish Flocker can’t arrange the bricks so that they won’t fall out. Bing studies the bricks curiously and on an upper floor, a dense Flocker eats a sandwich. Bong studies the sandwich hungrily! Bing eventually realises that the weight of the bricks must be distributed evenly throughout the basket. Bong rides up in the basket to join the dense Flocker for lunch. Hunger and balance problems solved!

Focus Early Learning Goal

Mathematical Development 12: Use everyday words to describe position.

Linked ELGs

M2, M4, M5, M6, M9, M13, KU1

Preparation

• Watch the Tiny Planets episode 
• Talk about what Bing and Bong did in the story

Talk about…..

• How Bing solved the Flocker’s problem
• Weighing objects and scales
• Balance

Focus Activity

Weigh things up (see overleaf)

Follow-on Activities

• Play a game of Jenga or similar using building bricks
• Look at a see-saw, talk about balance and weight
• Look at other types of weighing scales and let the children weigh themselves

Weigh things up!

Aim

To raise the understanding of how weight can affect balance

Resources

• Sets of weighing scales
• Tubs of various objects e.g. stones, shells, feathers, pasta
• Some larger objects e.g. fruit, large pebbles
• Paper and pencils

Guidelines

• In small groups let the children have a go at weighing different objects and getting the scales to balance
• Let them use a large object on one side and smaller ones on the other.
• You can record their findings to make a chart or graph.
• Leave the paper and pencils in the area to encourage mark making

Key Vocabulary

Weigh, heavier, lighter, balance

Health & Safety

Ensure the small items are suitable for the age group and supervise to ensure they are not putting objects into their mouths etc.