Balanced and Unbalanced Forces: The Bunny Farm Tug-of-War
It’s the big Tug-of-War at the Bunny Farm! Farmer Daisy holds the flag, a team of bunnies pulls on each end of the rope, and hay bales and wheelbarrows wait nearby.
Remember: Most things have more than one force on them. When forces are balanced (the same size, pulling or pushing opposite ways), nothing changes: a still thing stays still. When forces are unbalanced, the thing starts moving, speeds up, slows down or changes direction, toward the stronger force.
Magic trick: Balanced = stays the same. Unbalanced = something changes.
Seek and Find
Look carefully at the picture of the Bunny Farm Tug-of-War and find:
- 🐰 Find the 3 brown bunnies and the 3 grey bunnies on the rope. 3 against 3, pulling just as hard: the forces are balanced, so the rope stays still.
- 🌾 Find the 2 hay bales. Gravity pulls them down and the ground pushes them up: balanced!
- 🎃 Find the wheelbarrow full of pumpkins. It is heavier than the empty one, so it needs a bigger push.
- 🐱 Millie and her kitten Biscuit are hiding in every picture. Can you spot them?