What Students Will Do

  • 💪 The Challenge - Try to lift a heavy bucket with one finger. Impossible! ...unless you have a MACHINE
  • 🔧 Build a Real Pulley - Snap together a 3D printed bracket, spool, and string into a working pulley
  • ⬆️ Lift Heavy Things - Load up your cup with bears and blocks, pull down on the string, and watch them rise!
  • 🏋️ Weight Challenge - How many bears can YOUR pulley lift? Keep adding weight and find out!
  • 🏠 Take It Home - Clip your pulley on a doorknob at home and keep lifting!

The Magic of Machines

  • ⬇️ Pull Down, Go Up! - The pulley changes direction - when you pull DOWN, things go UP. It feels like magic but it's engineering!
  • 🏗️ Real Engineers Use These - Construction cranes, elevators, sailboats - pulleys are everywhere!
  • 💡 Your Body Helps - Pulling down is easier than pushing up because gravity is on your side
  • 🔢 Count and Compare - How many bears? Who lifted the most? Math is part of engineering!
  • 🧪 Test and Discover - What's the heaviest thing your pulley can lift? Only one way to find out!

What Students Will Learn

Simple Machines

A pulley is one of the six simple machines. It changes the direction of force to make lifting easier.

Forces & Direction

Pulling down can make things go up! Machines let us redirect our effort.

Problem Solving

Start with a problem (too heavy!), build a solution (pulley!), test it (how much can it lift?).

Counting & Comparing

Load, count, compare - engineering and math go hand in hand.

Simple But Powerful

  • ⚙ 3D Printed Bracket - Clips securely onto any table edge or doorknob - designed for small hands
  • 🧵 Real Rope and Spool - Not a toy - a functioning pulley with real string and a spinning wheel
  • 🪵 Snap-Together Assembly - Press-fit parts that kids can assemble themselves
  • 🏠 Works at Home - Clip it on a doorknob, tie on a bucket, and lift toys from across the room

Designed for Little Makers

  • Secure Mounting - Brackets clip firmly to table edges so nothing falls during the lifting challenge
  • Pre-Cut String - All string is cut to safe lengths, no loose tangles
  • Supervised Lifting - The heavy demo bucket is instructor-only; kids work with lightweight bears and blocks
  • Chunky Parts - All pieces are oversized and easy to grip, nothing small enough to be a hazard

Why Schools Love This Workshop

  • The Gasp Moment - When they lift that heavy bucket with one finger, jaws DROP
  • Real Engineering - Not pretend play - they build a functioning machine
  • Perfect for Pre-K - Big parts, simple assembly, huge payoff
  • Take-Home Learning - The pulley goes home and becomes a toy, a tool, and a conversation starter
  • Easy Setup - We bring everything including the heavy demo bucket
  • Low Mess - No liquids, no paint, no batteries - just good old mechanical advantage

Workshop Flow

  • The Problem (5 min) - "Can you lift this with one finger?" - the impossible challenge
  • How It Works (5 min) - Demo: pull down = go up! Let kids try the demo pulley
  • Build (15 min) - Snap together bracket, spool, and string
  • Test & Load (10 min) - Clip to table, load bears, pull and lift!
  • Lifting Challenge (10 min) - Progressive weight challenge - who lifts the most?
  • Explore & Wrap Up (15 min) - Free exploration, try different objects, take pulleys home

Perfect For

  • Pre-K & Kindergarten Classes - Ideal for the youngest learners
  • Daycare & Preschool Programs - Structured, engaging, age-appropriate
  • STEM Days - A hands-on station the littles can actually do
  • Engineering & Math Integration - Counting, comparing, and building in one activity