How to trigger pressure plates from a distance?

What ways are there to trigger pressure plates without standing on them?

Say I sneak into an old ruin and come across a posse of skeletons that are so positioned to be completely decimated if I could just trigger the trap they are standing next to!

Solution 1:

I've triggered floor plates with projectile spells (such as frost bolt and fear) as well as arrow shots. I've also dropped linen and bowls on them.

Solution 2:

I used Lydia. If your difficulty is low enough, she's pretty difficult to kill too, and while the flames killed me instantly (though I'm not sure if that impacts her health), they didn't seem to bother her too much, as I made her burn twice, within 10 sec.