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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.
The Rumblin' Road: Determining distance to a Thunderstorm
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In this activity, learners discover how to determine the distance to a lightning strike or nearby thunderstorm.
How Can Gravity Make Something Go Up?
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In this activity, learners use cheap, thin plastic garbage bags to quickly build a solar hot air balloon. In doing so, learners will explore why hot air rises.
Good News: We're on the Rise!
Learners build a simple aneroid barometer to learn about changes in barometric pressure and weather forecasting. They observe their barometer and record data over a period of days.
Homemade Hovercraft!
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This activity (on page 2 of the PDF under SciGirls Activity: Hovercraft) is a full inquiry investigation into hovercraft engineering and design optimization.
Physics in the Sky: Physics on a Plane
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On an airplane trip, learners have an opportunity to investigate the properties of air pressure at different altitudes.
Crunch Time
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In this quick and easy activity and/or demonstration, learners use two empty 2-liter bottles and hot tap water to illustrate the effect of heat on pressure.
Percentage of Oxygen in the Air
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In this activity, learners calculate the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere by using steel wool's ability to rust.
Balloon Hovercraft
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In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Luge Activity), learners will construct a model hovercraft out of an empty spool and a piece of cardboard.
Kites
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This activity (on page 2 of the PDF under SciGirls Activity: Kites) is a full inquiry investigation into how a kite’s shape affects its performance.
Toasty Wind
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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.
A Merry-Go-Round for Dirty Air
Learners build a model of a pollution control device--a cyclone. A cyclone works by whirling the polluted air in a circle and accumulating particles on the edges of the container.
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.
A Pressing Engagement
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In this quick and easy activity and/or demonstration, learners illustrate the effect of the weight of air over our heads.
CD Air Puck
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In this activity, learners will use a compact disc to build an air puck that can glide across a smooth tabletop. The puck glides with almost no friction on a cushion of air escaping from a balloon.
Does Air Weigh Anything?
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The demonstration/experiment provides quick proof that air has mass.
Jet Propulsion
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In this two-part activity, learners work in pairs to examine the four basic stages of a turbine engine.
If Hot Air Rises, Why is it Cold in the Mountains?
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This demonstration/activity helps learners understand why higher elevations are not always warm simply because "hot air rises." Learners use a tire pump to increase the pressure and temperature inside
Stadium Seat Science
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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.
Go with the Flow
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In this quick and easy activity and/or demonstration, learners use two empty soda cans to illustrate Bernoulli's principle.