Learning Resources Baby Bear Balance Set, Weights & Counters, Multi-color (LER0779)

So out of the blue, my 5 year old daughter asked for a scale for Christmas. She wanted to weigh things and she described comparing weights of different objects, so it sounded like a balancing scale would probably be the best bet. I shopped around and this scale seemed like a good product, with the understanding that toy scales aren't perfect. The nice thing is that it also included a bunch of weights in the shape of colored teddy bears, that can be used to measure the weight of an object. It comes with 102 bears that are 4 grams each. You could buy a different scale, but once you add in the weights, this combo balance scale set ended up being a good value.I debated as to what style to buy. There were several types including the scales with hanging pans (picture the scales of justice), scales with buckets and scales with flat surfaces. I immediately ruled out any scales with hanging pans. The strings that would hold the pans would get in the way of any tall items, really limiting what you could weigh. I settled on this set because the scale not only had nice buckets, but it also had covers for the buckets that would create a flat surface to place an item on. Really, the best of both worlds. My daughter had lots of fun weighing various items and princess figurines against each other and with the bear weights. The set also has a storage drawer for the bear weights and adjustment sliders to adjust the balance. The only negative is that the buckets aren't perfectly equal in weight which means you need to adjust the sliders to get the starting point to be level and we can't quite get them perfect, so it gets a star knocked off for this slight quality issue.Overall, this scale turned out to be perfect for her because it doesn't have to be precise, just fun. You get both a bucket and a flat surface to place items on without any strings to get in the way, and you get included weights making this balance set a great value. If you are looking for a fun little kid's scale, this one is a good choice.

I bought this since I homeschool my two younger children and thought it would be helpful in teaching them to measure and balance different things, as well as reinforce counting, sorting, and adding/subtracting.I was very exited to have this balance include the little bears, and in my opinion, they are the best feature of this balance.The balance came packaged very well and had all its pieces. Upon opening and setting it up, we noticed that the balance wasn’t level. Even when we adjusted the little blue tabs to help calibrate it, it just wouldn’t balance evenly. You can see in my photos that even with the blue tabs moved all the way to the outer limit of the track that the scale didn’t balance to 0.Perplexed, considering it’s a relatively simple machine so we decided to weigh all the parts just to check. All the bears did weigh 4g like the listing and box states. However, the buckets were different weights. One came in at 65g and the other at 63g as shown in my photos. This was very disappointing and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to keep it after that. I mean, how can a balance be useful if the buckets aren’t even balance? So, I quickly Googled typical items that weigh 2g and found that paper clips would work. I ended up needing two regular size paper clips placed into the lighter weighted bucket and then we were good to go. If I wasn’t able to provide such a quick and easy fix, I would definitely be returning this.The bears are super cute and have great colors. Even if we don’t use them for the scale (which we will too) they will work for counting and adding/subtracting alone. Even multiplication and division will be fun with them.Another design flaw I’ve noticed, only after my girls got ahold of it, is that bears can somehow get behind the drawer and it’s very difficult to get them out.

Another great Learning Resources product! I purchased this with the hopes of avoiding purchasing the "3 Bear Family" counters separately... That doesn't work... I purchased the pattern cards, and had intended on using the bears that came with this for those, but I didn't read carefully enough, apparently. The pattern cards require Mom, Dad, and Baby bears, so if you intend to avoid purchasing the others, it really doesn't work very well.As far as the scales--Fantastic! They are of really nice quality, and are a great visual aid, and a really nice introduction to weights, and measurement. They have spouts, so that you can easily weigh different liquids, and have platforms that fit on top of the containers for smaller items. If I were to complain about anything, it would be those: the "platforms" do not attach to the containers very well, and fall off rather easily. I found out once I purchased it that my kids may still be a bit young for it (2 and 4,) but it will be invaluable for years to come. We will be able to compare the weights of many different items for a very, very reasonable price.

We got this more just for fun and play than anything, which is really how kids learn best. We also got the weight set to go with it as well. My main complaint is storing it. It's really difficult to get it all back into the box properly to store it. But nonetheless the kids enjoy playing with it and exploring weights and measurements and all sorts of other concepts with this. I believe in learning through play and activities more than workbooks and worksheets and so far it has proven true for my kids through our homeschooling journey thus far. The bears can also be used for sorting and counting and other fun activities so this set really gives you a lot of resources and opportunities for exploring different concepts.

Fantastic math tool during quarantine. If you're teaching or have a child at home learning about size and weight this is perfect. Even if its only used in passing now there were several days where everything was being measured and THAT learning experience was worth the cost of this.

Our 3-year-old loves this! Very durable, and great quality overall. It's just annoying to store back in its box.

Very good product

Very good quality, better then the balances that come with math kits. And tons of bears!

Nice toy for teaching children about weight and quantity. Has been played with supervision as I’m not sure of the strength of the plastic. Over all I’m very happy

We used this product because we just started homeschooling our deaf child