Accept NASA's challenge to design heavy lifting vehicles. Groups of three design balloon-powered rockets to carry as much payload to the ceiling as possible. The teams are encouraged to launch several times while making improvements to...

Balloons aren't just for parties! An inquiry-based lesson explores the idea of using balloons for space exploration. Learners become engineers as they attempt to control the ascent and descent of a helium balloon using different masses.

Watch those balloon cars go! Scholars build racers that run using the power of balloons and conduct races with the cars. They learn about Newton's third law of motion and how it applies to their balloon racers.

Cling to a lesson on static electricity. Pupils take part in experiments where they see how paper from hole punchers, packing peanuts, puffed rice cereal, and other items react when placed near a rubbed balloon. They learn how electrons...

Capture your unique print. Individuals ink a finger and create a print on a deflated balloon. By blowing up the balloon, pupils get a magnified view of their unique print. They see if they can identify any loops, whorls, and arches in...

Balloons will go where you want them to. Young pilots first add paper clips to a balloon to make it neutrally buoyant. They then use cardboard to steer the balloon in different directions, taking air pressure into account.

This is one sticky situation! Science sleuths uncover the mystery behind a balloon that appears to be stuck to a wall using an interactive. Learners observe a neutrally charged wall before they manipulate the charge on a balloon. Atom...

One of the key objectives of Europe's Copernicus Earth program is to monitor the temperatures of the oceans and seas on Earth. Young scholars learn the effects of different heat capacities through two experiments. These experiments...

Celebrate the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss on Read Across America Day with a collection of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics activities, each linked to a popular Dr. Seuss story. 

What does stretching a balloon have to do with equilibrium? Groups explore preconditioning by stretching a balloon to a point of equilibrium. They then measure the amount of force required to stretch the balloon to the same point several...

After reading the book Balloons Over Broadway about the incredible puppeteer who created the first Macy's larger-than-life parade balloons, your youngsters will celebrate their reading by participating in a variety of engaging activities...

Students conduct an experiment to discover what happens to air when it is heated or cooled, discover that wind moves from a high-pressure area (an area of sinking air) to a low pressure area (an area of rising air).

Here is a game that combines exercise with math skills. In this mathematics and P.E. lesson, students hold balloons that have a number written on them, and for a set time do not let the balloons hit the ground. They must catch a balloon...

Young learners love creative movement. Here is a lesson that allows them to imitate balloons floating away by doing a "Balloon Dance." They start on the ground as if they are flat balloons with no air in them. The music starts, and they...

Students research where balloons go when they fly away, the consequences of their escape, and suggest alternative possibilities for preventing balloon escapes in real life. They identify humorous stories and discuss the qualities that...

Students investigate the concepts of volume for rectangular prisms and spheres. They measure the volume of one balloon and then consider how many breaths it would take to fill the room with balloons. The rectangular prism being measured...

First graders study addition and subtraction. In this mathematics and physical education activity, 1st graders pop balloons and solve math sentences involving addition and subtraction inside each balloon.

Learners solve word problems dealing with Charles' Law. In this Charles' Law instructional activity, students observe PowerPoint presentations concerning Charles' Law. They complete a WebQuest and describe the relationship between hot...

Students explore the concept of air density. In this air density lesson, students fill balloons with helium and carbon dioxide. Students determine which gases are heavier or lighter than air.

Pupils conduct an experiment with balloons and skewers. They speculate the reasons for the balloon's reactions to the skewers and write about their observations.