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The Shape of Floatation
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In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Sailboat Design Activity), learners will discover how the shape of an object, not just its weight, determines whether it floats or sinks.

Hovercraft
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In this activity, learners make plates levitate! Learners build "hovercrafts" using simple materials to explore friction and motion.

Landing the Rover
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In this team design challenge (page 19-24 of PDF), learners "land" a model Lunar Rover in a model Landing Pod (both previously built in activities #3 and #4 in PDF).

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

Sled Kite
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In this activity, learners build a sled kite that models a type of airfoil called a parawing.
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.

Submarine: Lift Bag Lander
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In this activity (on page 4), learners create a submarine using a plastic sandwich bag. This is a fun way to learn about buoyancy and how captured gas can cause objects to float.

Paddle Boat
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In this activity, learners build an old-fashioned paddle boat out of simple materials.

Above Water: Buoyancy & Displacement
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In an investigation called "Shape It!" learners craft tiny boats out of clay, set them afloat on water and then add weight loads to them, in order to explore: how objects stay afloat in water; what th

Rubber Band Racer
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In this activity, learners construct speedy vehicles made out of paper plates and powered by twisted rubber bands.

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.

Soapy Boat
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Learners discover that soap can be used to power a boat. Learners make a simple, flat boat model, put it in water, and then add a drop of detergent at the back of the boat.

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.

Balloon Staging
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In this activity, learners simulate a multistage rocket launch using party balloons, fishing line, straws, and a plastic cup.

Cable Car
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In this activity, learners string a line across the room and build cable cars that can move from on end to the other.

Breaking Up with Combustion
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This activity teaches combustion as the interaction of a fuel source and oxygen.

Hovercraft
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In this activity, learners build a hovercraft using a paper plate, cup, and simple motor.

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

Spaghetti Bridge
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Learners explore the field of civil engineering by making a bridge using spaghetti as their primary building material.

Construction Technologies: Construct the Strongest Bridge
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Learners work in pairs to create three simple types of bridges, a beam bridge, an arch bridge, and a suspension bridge.