Balloon Rockets: Learning About Air

We've been all about Air & Weather this week in 2nd grade! (Well, just air, weather comes next!) Today we did a "Balloon Rockets" experiment.  Many of the other teachers give their students much more guidance, explaining how this is done, but I like to let them problem solve... plus once one group gets it, it spreads like wildfire!  

The only guidance I gave them were "These are the tools you need to use.  You need to get a bag to travel on a string that is taped to the tables from one end to the other without touching it or blowing on it."  Then they were off...

Some students taped the bag the wrong way so they couldn't put the balloon inside, others let the balloon go on the wrong end and the bag didn't travel across the string... but by the end, they had all figured it out.

We reflected by answering these questions in our science journal:

-How does the air make the balloon rocket move from one end of the string to the other?

- How did you get the balloon rocket to travel the farthest? 

-Do you think this would work if we filled a small sandwich bag with air instead of a balloon? Why or Why not? 

Want to give it a try? Here's what you need: 

-String (1 for each pair of students)- Cut into a length long enough to be taped to 2 tables, desks, or chairs that the balloon can travel down

-Straw

-Gallon Size Ziploc Bag

-Oblong Balloon

-Tape

-Balloon Pump

Tape the bag to the straw with the opening facing sideways, put the string through the straw, tape ends of the string to table or chairs (make sure it is straight!)  Blow up the balloon, place inside the bag and watch it go!

Have fun! :)