Hi, I will be running Metric Mastery for B5 and B6, the two Homeschool Science Colorado teams.   I just opened the Coach's Confidential and have three questions:

1.   What capacity spring scale should we provide?   There's a difference in precision in measuring a 4N object, for example, with a spring scale with a 5N maximum and one with a 30N maximum.   

2.   Similarly, do we need to provide a mechanism for the spring scale to hold pennies (I'm just guessing!)?   Spring scales come with hooks but not all objects are hookable!

3.   I'm assuming you aren't wanting us to get the chunky, large preschool Crayolas, but standard ones.   On Amazon, there are two 8-packs of standard Crayolas.  One has a hang tag so that it can be hung in a store, and another is what Amazon lists as a "tuck box" and it doesn't have a hang tag.   The hang tag might add mass to the box and it makes measuring volume difficult.   However, if the crayons are what are going to be hung from the spring scale, yes, the box with a hang tag would work much better than the "tuck box."

4.   There are at least two formats of 120 Kleenex: a larger "lotion" one, a flat office-style one, and a roughly cube one.   Please specify which.

5.  I am assuming that the ruler we use has millimeter markings.  There are centimeter only rulers out there (usually marketed to elementary kids).

6.  I am assuming that the differences in masses of pennies and quarters (based on year minted, etc) is not enough to matter.   Maybe specify newer coins, especially with pennies.  

7.   Does the material of the disposable cup matter?   For about a decade, I've run WIDI events and have a huge closet of all sorts of things.  I have 8 oz foam cups, 6 oz paper cups, and 9 oz paper cups.   I'm OK buying a pack 8 oz cups, but if the purpose is capacity, then foam or plastic should also work.  

Thanks,

Kelly Bell

Coach Emeritus, Homeschool Science Colorado