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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.

Full of Hot Air: Hot Air Balloon Building
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In this activity, learners create a model of a hot air balloon using tissue paper and a hairdryer. Educators can use this activity to introduce learners to density and its role in why things float.

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.

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.

Pollution Patrol
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In this activity, learners explore how engineers design devices that can detect the presence of pollutants in the air.

Hot Air
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In this activity, learners set up an experiment to investigate the effects of hot air on the path of a laser beam.

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.

The Great Balloon Race
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In this online Flash game, learners take to the skies in a hot air balloon and are challenged to beat other balloonists' times to the finish line without crashing.

Stomp Rocket
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In this activity, learners build rockets and shoot them into the air by stomping on the plastic bottle launchers.

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.

Rocket Wind Tunnel
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In this activity, learners evaluate the potential performance of air rockets placed inside a wind tunnel.

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.
Balloon Surprise
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In this activity, learners discover a trick to release the air out of a balloon without popping it.

Rocket Launchers
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In this activity, learners work with an adult to build a rocket and launcher out of a plastic 2-liter bottle, flexible plastic hose, plastic tubing, toilet paper tube, and duct tape.

Convection Demonstration
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In this quick activity (located on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Balloon Fiesta Activity), learners will see the effects of convection and understand what makes hot air balloons rise.