Double Pan Balance and other things that measure

[Hunter]

I'd like to invest in a double pan balance. I don't know if I just want a kiddie version or an "adult" one. I don't want to be afraid to leave it out where children and bipolar adults can have free access to it. Few of my friends and students and visitors have ever had access to a scale to just mess around with.

 

I want to spread out a variety of tools to measure with, and just leave them there for awhile.

 

The arithmetic section of A Guide to American Christian Education lists all these areas to measure: :tongue_smilie:

 

Geometric Units

Line

Area

Volume

Angle

Physical Units

Weight

Mass

Temperature

Chronological Units

Clocks

Calendar

Money

 

Where does barometric pressure fit in this outline? And fat calipers?

 

I'd like to hang up some unit conversion charts. Are there any inexpensive posters available?

 

And I'd like to invest in some books to leave on the table that encourage independent exploration. And maybe some biographies that are applicable.

 

I'm open to suggestions of any type. I'm still in the very early stages of brainstorming this. It's all feeling a bit big and loose.

[Arcadia]

I'd like to hang up some unit conversion charts. Are there any inexpensive posters available?.

 

I use the NIST metric pyramid and bookmark from here.

 

We had problem zeroing the kiddie pan balances their virtual academy sent them but are good for exploration by kids and adults.

 

For me, barometric pressure would fall under physical units. We cover that under weather for science.

[Jay3fer]

We have a cheap but sturdy bucket balance from Rainbow Resources, but I see they don't have the same one. Still - you could call them to ask for one that's inexpensive but sturdy, or just visit an educational supply place. Ours was under $15.

Also, a digital kitchen scale is awesome for precise measurements in grams and ounces. Get one that switches fairly easily and measures to 1 decimal place; they can usually be bought here for $12 now, so probably $10 in the US. It'll wear out eventually, but in the meantime, they'll feel like real scientists.

 

Not sure what you mean by unit conversion charts? Metric to imperial? Or just ounces to gallons or whatever? In any event, you can probably find what you need inexpensively at Rainbow or another educational site / store.

[skeeterbug]

This is the double pan balance I want. It does not come with those colourful weights it shows, but it does come with the gold-coloured weights in the front. I have these metric weights that we've been using in our "toy" balance scale.

[Hunter]

I use the NIST metric pyramid and bookmark from here.

 

We had problem zeroing the kiddie pan balances their virtual academy sent them but are good for exploration by kids and adults.

 

For me, barometric pressure would fall under physical units. We cover that under weather for science.

 

Thanks for the links. Is pressure a whole other category of physical measurement or does it fall under weight or mass somehow?

 

We have a cheap but sturdy bucket balance from Rainbow Resources, but I see they don't have the same one. Still - you could call them to ask for one that's inexpensive but sturdy, or just visit an educational supply place. Ours was under $15.

Also, a digital kitchen scale is awesome for precise measurements in grams and ounces. Get one that switches fairly easily and measures to 1 decimal place; they can usually be bought here for $12 now, so probably $10 in the US. It'll wear out eventually, but in the meantime, they'll feel like real scientists.

 

Not sure what you mean by unit conversion charts? Metric to imperial? Or just ounces to gallons or whatever? In any event, you can probably find what you need inexpensively at Rainbow or another educational site / store.

 

I was looking in the Home Science Tools catalog. I will check at Rainbow. Thanks for the reminder. I'm really looking for a double pan.

 

I'm realizing I TOO didn't know what I meant by conversion. :lol: You know how it is when you pull something off a scope and sequence. :tongue_smilie: I think I would like to start with imperial to imperial conversions and then next year start working with metric. That is if I can find much for imperial. :glare:

 

 

This is the double pan balance I want. It does not come with those colourful weights it shows, but it does come with the gold-coloured weights in the front. I have these metric weights that we've been using in our "toy" balance scale.

 

Thanks for the links! They both look good. The weights look very enticing to use, don't they. I wonder if there are any like that for imperial.

[mumto2]

We had a children's bucket balance from learning resources that we enjoyed. It survived quite a bit of use by ds. Probably a pretty good recommendation.

 

I want to second the electronic scale idea or at least a quality non electronic cooking scale. My Dc's love the one I bought last year when I finally decided to start using british cooking directions. It is fabulous for science projects too. Mine has a glass top so not the best suited for your needs. The ability to convert measurements from metric to ounces with the flick of a button is oddly captivating.

 

Another thing that has been a big hit is an inexpensive old fashioned candy thermometer.

 

For the barometer we spent quite a while comparing actual barometer readings to the pictures our cheap digital temperature device told us. We bought it at Target years ago for about $10. It will give indoor and outdoor readings if setup to -- we kept the outdoor tranmitter in our garage to protect it. It also shows pictures -- sunny, cloudy, rainy etc. These correspond to proper barometer readings and show the weather "about" six hours out.

 

Enjoy your planning. Let us know what you decide on.

[Hunter]

This is the double pan balance I want. It does not come with those colourful weights it shows, but it does come with the gold-coloured weights in the front. I have these metric weights that we've been using in our "toy" balance scale.

 

Now that I have been turned onto teaching the metric system as our primary system of measurement (in another thread) I'm going to go with this set.

 

We had a children's bucket balance from learning resources that we enjoyed. It survived quite a bit of use by ds. Probably a pretty good recommendation.

 

I want to second the electronic scale idea or at least a quality non electronic cooking scale. My Dc's love the one I bought last year when I finally decided to start using british cooking directions. It is fabulous for science projects too. Mine has a glass top so not the best suited for your needs. The ability to convert measurements from metric to ounces with the flick of a button is oddly captivating.

 

Another thing that has been a big hit is an inexpensive old fashioned candy thermometer.

 

For the barometer we spent quite a while comparing actual barometer readings to the pictures our cheap digital temperature device told us. We bought it at Target years ago for about $10. It will give indoor and outdoor readings if setup to -- we kept the outdoor tranmitter in our garage to protect it. It also shows pictures -- sunny, cloudy, rainy etc. These correspond to proper barometer readings and show the weather "about" six hours out.

 

Enjoy your planning. Let us know what you decide on.

 

Okay I'm sold on the cooking scale too, as a way to help with conversion in the kitchen since I will be teaching metric for math. The candy thermometer sounds like it will be loved. And I want weather stuff, but am not sure what I want to do with that yet. I might make our own crude instruments first before purchasing any. I lived on an island as a child and I remember shark oil barometers made by the locals.

[Arcadia]

And I want weather stuff, but am not sure what I want to do with that yet. I might make our own crude instruments first before purchasing any.

 

FOSS link to making a rain gauge using soda bottles

 

NOAA how to build your own weather station link

 

Scholastic Cloud Key (PDF) - its a DIY cloud wheel and helps my boys identify clouds

 

We use this Dymo Digital Scale 3lb/1.3kg for my kids science experiments.

Edited September 27, 2012 by Arcadia

[Hunter]

FOSS link to making a rain gauge using soda bottles

 

NOAA how to build your own weather station link

 

Scholastic Cloud Key (PDF) - its a DIY cloud wheel and helps my boys identify clouds

 

We use this Dymo Digital Scale 3lb/1.3kg for my kids science experiments.

 

Thanks!! :-)