Search Results

Investigate how force and thrust work to propel rockets into outer space. Build a rocket: a blown-up balloon taped to a drinking straw threaded through some string.

Take the two-straw challenge and discover how pressure affects vacuums! In this activity, learners experiment with drinking through one and two straws, comparing the amount of liquid they can drink.

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

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 build a hovercraft using a paper plate, cup, and simple motor.

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

In this design challenge activity, learners use a balloon and other simple materials to design an air-powered rocket that can hit a distant target.

The "Rocket Reactions" activity is an exciting way to learn about how materials interact, behave, and change.

In this activity, learners build mini-basketball courts and explore the laws of physics. Learners discover that everything you throw or shoot on earth travels in a parabola.

In this engineering/design activity, learners make a kite, fly it, and then work to improve the design. Learners explore how their kite design variations affect flight.

In this demonstration, learners can observe a number of small convection cells generated from a mixture of aluminum powder and silicon oil on a hot plate.

In this activity, learners will determine if the frequency and intensity of hurricanes are changing using real data from the National Hurricane Center.

In this activity/demonstration, learners observe what happens when two ping pong balls are suspended in the air by a hair dryer. Use this activity to demonstrate how rain drops grow by coalescence.

In this activity, learners investigate how changing the center of gravity of a balloon affects how it travels. Learners fill a balloon with a little bit of water and insert into an empty balloon.

In this activity, learners create and experiment with wind tubes. These tubes are a playful and inventive way to explore the effect that moving air has on objects.

In this activity, learners explore force and motion by constructing cardboard cars that are propelled by balloons.

In this online Flash game, learners will captain a sailing challenge, adjusting boat direction and sails, seeking the way to take greatest advantage of varying wind speeds and directions to catch the

In this activity, learners explore how parachutes are used to slow down moving objects. Learners work in teams of "engineers" to design and build their own parachutes out of everyday items.