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Helicopter Twirl
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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.
What Gives?
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In this activity, learners design, build and test a model suspension bridge for sturdiness and strength.
Float My Boat
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In this activity, learners use tinfoil to build and test their own boats - which designs will float, and which will sink?
Eye Spy
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This fun activity uses simple materials such as milk cartons and mirrors to introduce the ideas of optics and visual perception.
Make a Balloon-powered Nanorover
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In this activity, learners build a nanorover model using styrofoam meat trays and a balloon.
Up, Up and Away with Bottles
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In this activity, learners make water rockets to explore Newton's Third Law of Motion. Learners make the rockets out of plastic bottles and use a bicycle pump to pump them with air.
Achieving Orbit
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In this Engineering Design Challenge activity, learners will use balloons to investigate how a multi-stage rocket, like that used in the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, can propel a sat
Newton Car
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In this activity, learners work in teams to investigate the relationship between mass, acceleration, and force as described in Newton's second law of motion.
Evolution in Plane Sight
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In this activity, learners model directed evolution by making paper fly. Learners construct and fly paper airplanes.
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.
Straws and Airplanes
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Create airplanes from straws and geometric shapes. Test them out to see how far they can fly, or how accurately they can be aimed.
Wingin' It
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Learners explore the Bernoulli effect by building an airfoil (airplane wing) and making it fly.
Marble Run!
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This activity (on page 2 of the PDF under SciGirls Activity: Luge) is a full inquiry-based challenge related to motion and design optimization.
Draggin' Boats
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Learners design, build, and test models of "dragon boats" made from up to three milk cartons.
Build a Bridge
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In this activity, learners use recycled materials to build a bridge that holds as many potatoes as possible. They investigate weight, height, strength, and measurement as they seek design solutions.
Sky Glider Challenge
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In this design challenge activity, learners use two helium-filled balloons to build a blimp that can travel in a straight path across the room.
Watercraft
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In this design challenge activity, learners build a boat that can hold 25 pennies (or 15 one inch metal washers) for at least ten seconds before sinking.
Design a Submarine
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Learners act as engineers and design mini submarines that move in the water like real submarines.
Rocket Wind Tunnel
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In this activity, learners evaluate the potential performance of air rockets placed inside a wind tunnel.
Airplane Wing Investigation
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This activity (located on page 3 of the PDF under GPS: Balloon Fiesta Activity) is a full inquiry investigation into Bernoulli’s principle and airplane wings.