If you don’t have paper cups, you can make the buckets for your balance scale with plastic cups instead.
If you don’t have a notched clothes hanger, you can use some more twine to tie the handles on the paper buckets to the bottom of a regular clothes hanger so they don’t fall off.
One way to decorate the scale is to help your kids write their names on it. Don’t attach anything too heavy to the buckets or it could interfere with how the scale works.
Your kids’ favorite small toys. Different rocks that your kids find outside. Small fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and grapes.