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Turning the Air Upside Down: Warm Air is Less Dense than Cool Air
Learners cover a bottle with a balloon. When they immerse the bottle in warm water, the balloon inflates. When they immerse the bottle in a bowl of ice, the balloon deflates.

A Recipe for Air
Learners use M&Ms® (or any other multi-color, equally-sized small candy or pieces) to create a pie graph that expresses the composition of air.

Fly a Hot-Air Balloon
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Learners assemble a hot-air balloon from tissue paper. The heated air (from a heat gun) inside the balloon is less dense than the surrounding air and causes the balloon to float.

I Can't Take the Pressure!
Learners develop an understanding of air pressure in two different activities.

What Color is Your Air Today?
Learners develop awareness and understanding of the daily air quality using the Air Quality Index (AQI) listed in the newspaper or online.

Turning the Air Upside Down: Spinning Snakes
Learners color and cut out a spiral-shaped snake. When they hang their snake over a radiator, the snake spins.

Fun with Bernoulli
Learners conduct four simple experiments to demonstrate the effects of air pressure.

Turning the Air Upside Down: Convection Current Model
Learners see convection currents in action in this highly visual demonstration. Sealed bags of colored hot or cold water are immersed in tanks of water.

Tumble Wing Walkalong Glider
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In this physics activity (page 2 of the PDF), learners will construct their own walkalong glider. They will explore how air, though invisible, surrounds and affects other objects.

Wind Tube
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In this activity, learners explore moving air and the physics of lift and drag by constructing homemade wind tunnels.

Hot Air Balloon
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In this activity, learners build a hot air balloon using just a few sheets of tissue paper and a hair dryer.

Heat Capacity: Can't Take the Heat?
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Why is ocean water sometimes the warmest when the average daily air temperature starts to drop? In this activity, learners explore the differing heat capacities of water and air using real data.

Weather Vane
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In this meteorology activity, learners build weather vanes using straws, paperclips, and cardstock.

Zoomers
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In this activity, learners build their own rockets from paper, coffee stirrers, and tape. Learners discover that when anything flies, air pressure is always involved.

Dripping Wet or Dry as a Bone?
Learners investigate the concept of humidity by using a dry and wet sponge as a model. They determine a model for 100% humidity, a sponge saturated with water.

Weather Vane and Anemometer
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In this meteorology activity, learners construct simple devices to measure the direction and speed of wind.

Measure the Pressure: The "Wet" Barometer
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In this activity, learners use simple items to construct a device for indicating air pressure changes.

Handheld Water Bottle Rocket & Launcher
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In this activity, learners build handheld rockets and launchers out of PVC pipes and plastic bottles. Use this activity to demonstrate acceleration, air pressure, and Newton's Laws of Motion.

Measure the Pressure II: The "Dry" Barometer
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In this activity, learners use simple items to construct a device for indicating air pressure changes.

Go Fly a Kite
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In this hands-on activity, children create their own kites that can fly indoors. Learners are exposed to basic concepts of gravity and air resistance.