LEGO Balance Scale STEM Project

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Robots, racing cars, contraptions, and more — these genius LEGO inventions can be made with bricks you already own!

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We’ve always adored Page Street Publishing and their super awesome books for kids, so we are so excited to partner with them to share about the new book, Genius LEGO Inventions with Bricks You Already Have.

If your kid is LEGO obsessed, you need this book. It’s not only a great guide to building super cool things, it’s a great guide to building super cool things THAT MOVE.

You’ll find step-by-step directions on how to make everything from mechanical robots to eye-rolling dogs to sophisticated marble runs. And the coolest part is that each tutorial uses common LEGO bricks so you can easily build the creations for yourself.

LEGO Balance Scale STEM Project

My favorite part about this activity book is that each activity comes with a lesson. The project I am about to show you introduces kids to the science concept of mass versus weight by building a LEGO balance scale.

Here’s what you need to build a LEGO Balance Scale:

• 12 — 1 x 6 bricks
• 6 — 1 x 4 bricks
• 4 — 1 x 2 bricks
• 1 — 6 x 12 plate
• 4 — 4 x 6 plates
• 2 — 1 x 16 Technic bricks
• 9 — 2 x 4 bricks
• 2 — 2 x 4 plates
• 1 — 2 x 2 brick with a pin on each side

Start by building the pans for the balance. Place two of the 4 x 6 plates side by side. Create a perimeter to lock them together using six 1 x 6 bricks, 2 1 x 4 bricks, and 2 1 x 2 bricks. Repeat with the other plates and bricks so you have two pans.

Next, stack nine 2 x 4 bricks into a tower to create the base of the scale. Place the 2 x 2 brick with two pins at the top of your tower.

Now, attach the two 1 x 16 Technic bricks to the pins and place a 2 x 4 plate on each end at the top to balance the weight. Add a 1 x 4 brick beneath the Technic bricks at each end to create an attachment for the pans.

Finally, attach the pans to the scale using the 1 x 4 bricks you placed in the last step.

Now use your LEGO balance scale to try some experiments. Can you balance a set of rocks and marbles? What happens when you move the fulcrum from the middle of the scale to one of the sides?

This simple project is just one example of the awesome tutorials found in Genius LEGO Inventions. You can purchase Genius LEGO Inventions on Amazon and at bookstores today!

 

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