Comparing Mass: Light, Heavy, and the Same
We are learning to compare the masses of objects, using words such as heavier, lighter, and the same mass.
Play “Which Object Is Heavier?” with your child:
• Each player chooses an object (e.g., shoe, dish, fork) that he or she can hold comfortably.
• Each player estimates which object is heavier.
• The players verify their thinking by taking turns holding the objects in their hands in order to feel which of the two objects is heavier.
• Each player scores a point if he or she estimated correctly.
• The players repeat with other objects.
• The first player to score 10 points wins the game.
Remember to use words such as heavier, lighter, and the same mass in comparing the objects.
How to Use a Balance Scale
Show 2 similar toys, such as toy cars, and ask: “Do you think these cubes have the same mass? How can we use a balance to show that the cubes have the same mass?”
Listen to your child’s understanding of how a balance works and talk about it – for example: “If one cube is heavier than the other, the side of the balance holding the heavier cube will lower. If the cubes have the same mass, the sides of the balance will be balanced.”
Use a balance to demonstrate that the cubes have the same mass.
Show 5 cubes, and count them together. Place the cubes on one side of the balance, and ask the following questions:
• “How many cubes do I need to place on the other side to make both sides balance?”
• “How many cubes could I place on the other side to make this side go down?”
• “How many cubes could I place on the other side to make this side go up?”
Big and Light, Small and Heavy
Talk with a family member.
What objects can you think of that are really big, but also light?
What objects can you think of that are really small, but also heavy?
(Adapted from http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Measurement_K-3.pdf )
