Games
Balloon Rocket
Children attach a balloon to a straw threaded through a string, blow air into the balloon, and release it to watch it zoom forward. This game introduces the concept of air pressure and action-reaction forces.
Materials
- Balloon
- Thread
- Straw
- Paper Cups
- Pebbles
Click on the image to learn more
Checklist
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how to play
Divide the children into groups of 2. Begin by telling a short story, such as sending a rocket to explore a distant planet or racing a balloon cablecar to deliver a message on top of the hill , to make the activity exciting. Give each group a balloon, a straw, and a piece of string. Show them how to thread the straw through the string and attach the balloon to the straw. Explain that they need to blow air into the balloon and release it to make it zoom along the string. Encourage children to experiment with different balloon sizes, positions on the string, or ways to launch for the best performance. If they face difficulty, give hints such as: How tight should the string be? How can the balloon’s position affect the speed? Make sure each child gets enough turns to launch and enjoy their balloon rocket.
Challanges
- The challenge is to build a cable car that can carry a load from one end to another.
- We'll give them pebbles as the load and ask them to transport it using the cable car they create. You can increase the load gradually starting with fewer numbers and see how much it can hold and travel.
- We'll also see if the balloon can travel upwards, downwards, and even when the thread is moving, like when we move the thread while the balloon is traveling.
Questions to be asked
- What do you think happens when the balloon is small or big?
- If the balloon has to reach the other end of the thread, how big would you make the balloon?
- Does adding weight to the balloon change how long it takes to travel?
- What's the difference between when the thread is still and when it's moving?
- How do you imagine the balloon travels along the thread?
- What changes can you make in your rocket after it can't hold certain weight?