How can one person lift something that feels far too heavy to move?
The Kraul Block & Tackle Pulley Kit turns one of the oldest and cleverest ideas in mechanics into an experiment children can build, test and quite literally feel for themselves.
Beginning with a simple pulley wheel and rope, children discover that a pulley can change the direction in which a force is applied. Add a moving pulley and something even more surprising happens: a heavy load suddenly becomes much easier to lift.
From there the experiments grow more ingenious. Children can combine several wooden pulley wheels to create working block and tackle systems, gradually discovering that the more the load is shared between supporting lengths of rope, the less pulling force is required. The trade-off is wonderfully tangible: lifting becomes easier, but a greater length of rope has to be pulled.
It is one of those scientific ideas that makes immediate sense once you can feel it in your own hands.
Kraul’s detailed experiments move from fixed and movable pulleys to double wheels, power pulleys and practical block-and-tackle arrangements. Children can compare different configurations, lift test weights and see why the same principles have been used for centuries in cranes, ships, workshops, warehouses and building construction.
The instructions even show how the pulley can become a simple cable glider or funicular, linking beautifully to Kraul’s much loved cable car toys.
Made from wood, rope and simple mechanical components rather than hidden mechanisms, everything remains visible. Children can follow the rope, watch the wheels turn and understand exactly where the mechanical advantage comes from.
A brilliant hands on introduction to physics and engineering for older children who enjoy taking an idea apart, rebuilding it and discovering why machines make difficult jobs easier.
What Children Can Discover
• How fixed and movable pulleys work
• How pulleys redirect force
• How a moving pulley can reduce the force needed to lift a load
• Why reducing force means pulling a greater length of rope
• Mechanical advantage
• How several pulley wheels work together in a block and tackle
• How load is shared between supporting ropes
• Simple machines and their role in engineering
• How cranes, ships and lifting equipment use pulley principles
• Practical experimentation, observation and problem solving
What’s Included
• 4 pulley wheels
• 2 wheels approximately 4 cm diameter
• 2 wheels approximately 5 cm diameter
• 4 wooden sections approximately 14.8 cm with double holes
• 4 wooden sections approximately 10 cm with single holes
• 8 wooden pegs approximately 3 cm long
• Approximately 20 metres of hemp cord
• 4 wing nuts
• 4 bolts
• Detailed illustrated experiment booklet
Product Details
• Wooden pulley and mechanics experiment kit
• Build simple and more complex block-and-tackle systems
• Recommended age: 10 years+
• Box size: approximately 15.7 × 11.7 × 4.6 cm
Fascinated by machines that make work easier? Continue experimenting with the Kraul Gear Wheels Experiment Kit and The Big Cable Car Kit where children discover how gears change speed, direction and force.
Kraul Toys & Experiment Kits
Kraul is a family run German toy maker creating wonderfully inventive toys and experiment kits that help children discover how nature and technology really work.
Inspired by the elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire, Kraul toys encourage children to build, observe, experiment and find things out for themselves. From working cable cars, gears and pulleys to water wheels, optics and magnetism, each design makes scientific ideas tangible through hands on discovery.
Kraul places particular importance on allowing children to experience technical relationships while building, believing that making and experimenting can reveal more about nature and technology than scientific theory alone. Almost everything is manufactured and packaged in Germany using local wood and quality materials.
Discover the full Kraul Toys & Experiment Kits collection at Magic Forest Shop.
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