Pulley Basket STEAM Activity

One of my favorite activities from the My Amazing Body theme this month was the Pulley Basket STEAM Activity. Super simple to set up and great hands-on learning for kids of all ages!

Pulley Basket STEAM Activity

This activity is an opportunity to learn about physical science. It’s simply a rope on a basket. I found the basket at a thrift store and had the heavy rope in my stash of materials.

Find a high place to wrap the rope around, like a tree branch. You can also set it up indoors using a hanger, closet pole or curtain rod (if you’re sure it won’t fall down!) I love taking learning outdoors, especially during these late summer/early fall days when our lovely weather in Wisconsin is soon to be over.

Other materials you might want for this activity: rocks, sticks, leaves or small toys with a variety of weights. First, we experimented with an empty basket. Then we added random toys we found outdoors.

We use our arms to lift and pull! We noticed the whole body moves when lifting and pulling.

Sometimes we need a little help from friends to make it work.

The Pulley Basket STEAM Activity can be done independently, with a friend or with several friends. It’s always good to practice taking turns and helping on another.

I left the basket out all week for them to play with. Supervision is required when children are playing with a rope or cord.

Sometimes we had problems with the rope wrapping around itself and the basket couldn’t be pulled up. Or the basket would get stuck up high and the kids couldn’t get it down. Time for some problem-solving skills!

This little guy tried something else with the rope: tied it to the ride-on toy and pulled the basket up. Good idea!