Balloon Experiment

When talking about Push and Pull in science I remembered this fun balloon experiment.

One of our favorite activities was to see if our fan could push several classroom objects.

We tried a wooden block, cotton balls, super balls and balloons.

We measured and discussed how far each object moved along the floor, or didn't move, and why we saw these results.

For example, we decided that the cotton ball wasn't moving as much as we thought because it appeared to be "velcro-ing" to the carpet.

The children were also coming up with ideas on how to modify the balloon experiment and one student said, "What if we aim the fan straight up? What would happen?"

Well, we tried it and I don't think any of us expected the result we received...

The balloon hovered in mid-air. It didn't fall, it didn't blow away, it just spun in place!

We left it there for the rest of the day. It was still hovering when we got back the next morning. And, I'm quite sure it's still floating there still.

This experiment filtered into Writer's Workshop. We were working on the craft of poetry writing, so we wrote poems about the balloon.

We used many of the poems in The New Kid on the Block as models for writing. If you can only afford one poetry book, I just adore anything by Jack Prelutsky.

Wanting more ideas? Sign up for my free teaching newsletter and get ideas sent right to your email box.

New teacher? Struggling teacher? Download my free eBook that's packed with ideas, tips and tricks to get you through a rough year.

Have questions? Contact me about a balloon experiment in your classroom.

Just need more ideas for your classroom, try Sites for Teachers. They have great ideas!

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.