Guess the Weight!

What You Need:

• 100 small objects such as paper clips, glue sticks, writing implements, and erasers
• Scale (use a scale that measures ounces if you are using lightweight objects)
• Plastic bags

What You Do:

1. Have your child count the small objects by tens and place them into plastic bags as he goes so that they don't roll away or make a mess when you place them on the scale.
2. Ask your child to guess how much he thinks the items weigh in ounces.
3. Once he has his guess, it's time to weigh! Place the bags on the scale one by one in order from lightest to heaviest. Have your child read the scale out loud. How much do the objects weigh?
4. Discuss the results with your child. How close was his guess? Are smaller objects necessarily lighter? See if he agrees with the statement that 100 may seem like a big number, but it can be very small when you are talking about weight.

To make things more interesting, you can also make a contest of this activity by asking other people in the house to weigh in with their own guesses. Closest guess wins!