Bucket Pulley System

We spent a week on a lake in Michigan with family (It was the perfect trip for the kids!) and one fun part of the yard was this simple pulley system. My son giggled with delight as he figured out how to make it work and had a lot of fun balancing the buckets out with water. His happiness was taken to even higher levels when he realized how quickly you can make a bucket move and how much water will splash out if you throw off the weight fast enough.

{There is a nail in the tree that is holding the pulley in place}

This was such a fun and educational activity. I am thinking about making a trip to the hardware store for rope and pulleys and making our own version in the trees by our sandbox so the buckets could be filled with sand. Also, a temporary or permanent pulley system inside the house could be made and used for balancing and lifting fun (Hooray for unfinished basements!). Make things extra fun by forming teams and trying to toss beanbags into the buckets. The team whose bucket touches the floor first wins!