::: balloon rocket
Balloons are always a hit with the children. One day some children were blowing them up, some using a pump as they still find it tricky to blow them up with their mouths, tying them up and bouncing them around like balls. We asked them what would happen if they just let them go without tying them, which led onto how air molecules get squashed together and want to bounce back when they can, which makes it come out of the balloon in a rush.
A great way to help the children understand this is to give them a piece of sponge which they squeeze tightly into their hands then watch it pop back out when they release the pressure.
We showed the children how to use this process to make a balloon rocket. We set up two chairs from the library corner with a string attached to both. Remember to thread a straw onto the string first. Then the balloon was blown up and stuck onto the straw.
What great excitement when we counted down and the air was allowed to come out of the balloon – BLAST OFF!!!
The same balloon can be used a few times but tends to lose its elasticity.
Oh, I’m glad you linked back to this post! We’ve often done the experiment of letting balloons fly off, but all too often they shoot out over our fence and into the street, which for obvious reasons isn’t ideal. This is something we will definitely be doing next week!
love this idea, thanks-karen
The children LOVE this one with a light “rocket”( paper rolled and taped; small biscuit separaters;) attached to the “launcher( the straw).Its great fun for everyone as the ballon becomes the “engine” ,especially when attached and oriented to so it flies up!!!
::: Now that sounds like fun Jennifer!
