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In this quick activity, learners use a toaster to investigate the source for the Earth's wind. Learners hold a pinwheel above a toaster to discover that rising heat causes wind.

In this activity, learners explore why humans sweat. Learners compare the effects of heat on a balloon filled with air and a balloon filled water.

In this activity, learners design and build their own parachute using household materials with the goal of landing their passenger safely on a target.

In this engineering design challenge, learners build an octopus-inspired suction pad that can grab an object and hold it tightly in the air.

In this activity, learners discover how to determine the distance to a lightning strike or nearby thunderstorm.

Learners make a skydiver and parachute contraption and launch it. They see that the drag created by air resistance slows the descent of skydivers as they travel back to Earth.

In this activity, learners discover that two pendulums suspended from a common support will swing back and forth in intriguing patterns, if the support allows the motion of one pendulum to influence t

In this activity, learners trap a thin layer of air between two pieces of Plexiglas to produce rainbow-colored interference patterns.

In this activity, learners turn an ordinary metal coat-hanger into a (very quiet) musical instrument.

In this activity on page 7 of the PDF (Plants—The Green Machines), learners examine the effects that light and air have on green plants.

Learners cut and fold a paper helicopter from the template in this PDF. They practice twirling the helicopter and observe what happens as they modify their tries.

Capture soap bubble patterns on paper! In this activity, learners can create beautiful pictures from popping soap bubbles.

In this demonstration, learners observe the effects of density and pressure. A "diver" constructed out of a piece of straw and Blu-Tack will bob inside a bottle filled with water.

In this weather activity/demonstration, learners watch as a ping pong ball is suspended in a stream of air supplied by a hair dryer.

Hooray! In this design challenge activity, learners invent a device that launches a spoonful of confetti into the air. Learners are encouraged to create the biggest cloud of confetti possible.

In this design and physics challenge, learners construct a cylindrical wing, fly it, make modifications, and determine how the changes affect flight patterns.

In this activity, learners make film canister rocket ships. A fin pattern is glued onto the outside of the canister, and fuel (water and half an antacid tablet) is mixed inside the canister.

In this activity, learners build a hovercraft using a paper plate, cup, and simple motor.

In this activity, learners watch a figure "magically" float up through the air.

After a discussion about what a parachute is and how it works, learners create parachutes using different materials that they think will work best.