A Pulley Craft for Cub Scouts

Wishing Well

• Use pulleys, rope and a small bucket to creating a wishing well. Attach one pulley to the handle of a small bucket and have the scouts build a well structure using cardboard, a 5-gallon bucket or any other materials you have on hand. Attach a second pulley to the cross bar of your well and use the pulleys and rope to raise and lower the bucket into the well. When each boy lowers the bucket, have a person drop in the bucket a question for them to answer. After they lift the bucket and answer the question, have them lower the bucket again for a small treat or reward.

How Much Weight?

• Attach items of varying weight to the end of a rope, and use a single pulley to lift each one. Let each scout have a turn lifting each item. Start with lighter items and go to heavier ones. To simplify the demonstration, attach a box or basket to the pulley, then put items in and out of the box. After trying this with a single pulley, add another pulley to the system. Attach the rope to a board or ceiling, add a pulley on top of the basket, and then use the original pulley. The pulleys now share the work of lifting, and the scouts will find it takes only half as much effort to lift the weights.

Tram

• Secure pulleys on each side of a room, or use 2-by-4 boards set vertically in a bucket filled with concrete, and attach pulleys to the top of the board. Set the boards across the room from each other, as long as your rope will allow. Run a rope through the pulleys, fasten a bucket to the rope and attach the ends of the rope together so they are taut. Have two groups of boys, one on each side of the room, and have them send messages or items across the room to each other by pulling on one side of the rope.

Mini Flagpoles

• One of the places a scout will most often use pulleys is when raising and lowering flags. Have the boys create their own personal flags or family flags, and make a flag pole with a dowel, a heavy base, two small pulleys, a rope and small hooks or carabiners. The carabiners used for this project can be lightweight, such as those used as key rings. Put the dowel in a base, attach the pulleys and put the rope between them. Attach the hooks or carabiners the right distance apart to accommodate the flags.