Meet our enthusiastic 5-year-old toy reviewers, Saja, who loves painting cats, and Harvey, who enjoys writing a good sentence. We asked them to weigh up the Fandex My First Weight Scale Set to see if, on balance, it was a fun STEM learning toy. For their review, they tested the weight of some orange juice and milk before gleefully mixing them together, as well as comparing the numbers different types of fruit scored when they were placed on the scales.
The STEM Toy
Kids can don imaginary lab coats and goggles to release their inner scientist with this analog scale from the educational “My First” series. Easy to use, the brightly coloured weight scale also comes with extra bits of “scientific equipment” that preschoolers will love to play with, including play beakers, test tubes, a dropper and a funnel, making the scales set a fun STEM toy for children ages 3 and up.
What You'll Need
The Educational Experience
Young learners are encouraged to discover more about mass and numbers. You can challenge kids to collect items of different weight to put on the scale, improving their measurement vocab and their understanding of mass: “Let’s find something light!” “What about something heavy?” “Are bigger things always heavier?” Also, they can see how adding multiple items of the same weight – e.g. bananas – changes the reading. They can count as they go, note where the arrow is, and even make an age-appropriate scientific report of their findings.
The included beakers allow kids to measure liquids as well as solids, while a user manual and activity book, which includes experiments to try and worksheets to complete, helps grown-ups with the STEM side of play learning. Then, using droppers and a funnel to fill the beakers and test tubes works motor skills as well as mental skills.
SEE ALSO: STEM Test Drive: Preschoolers Rate and Review My First Microscope
The Verdict
After all the pouring and measuring and comparing, how did Saja and Harvey rate the scales? With a thumbs up and a “Good”.
Our Panel's Rating Out of 10
A thoughtful Saja says, “I give it 7 out of 10”, while Harvey could barely contain his enthusiasm, “One hundred. I give it one hundred out of 10!”
