One day, this old fashion seesaw just ended up in our garden. Thank you to whoever left it back there. It has to be our most fun science toy yet. This toy taps into pivot points and moment arms (read, PHYSICS is written all over it).
If you find an old seesaw, inspect it first to make sure it won't fall apart on you. Then climb on it and start playing. It works better if the seesawers are closer in weight than J and his daddy. J climbed aboard with our neighbor girl, who is maybe at most 3-5 lbs heavier and both J and our neighbor girl had a great time transferring their weight back and forth on the seesaw.
Play with moment arms. Push on different parts of the seesaw and see how the other side responds. Is it harder or easier to lift the weight when you push further away from the center.
What happens when you lean back? What happens when you lean forward? What's the most weight you can lift with the seesaw?
Have fun with science!
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Please support some September projects that helped me out last month
Presents for low income Medford Kids:
http://www.refresheverything.com/birthdayparties, text 108304 to 73774
NC Elementary Schools:
http://www.refresheverything.com/forestpines, text 108674 to 73774
http://www.refresheverything.com/stoughpta, text 108654 to 73774
I don't think they helped me directly, but there's also a project for building a science museum for kids in Baton Rouge:
http://www.refresheverything.com/sciencerocks, text 108949 to 73774
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