Drop a perfect project into your lesson plans. Groups use different building materials to create models of parachutes for food drops. After testing out their prototypes, they make improvements to their designs.

Young scholars discuss parachutes and write a procedure to determine the effect of different size parachutes and different masses on the time it takes the masses to fall. They record all their data from their experiment then write three...

Flutter, dome, mushroom, tent, jell-o, popcorn, volcano, floating cloud, and mashed potatoes. What do these terms have in common? They are all things to do in a parachute activity. Check out this activity, the pictures included with the...

This lesson certainly will not be a drag! Little engineers design parachutes that make use of air resistance and, as a result, slow the descent of the payload as much as possible. It is an opportunity to teach about many motion concepts:...

Students engage in a discussion about what a parachute is and how it works. They create a parachute using different materials that they think will work best. The students test their designs, which will be followed by a class discussion...

Students study the basics of parachuting.  In this flight and aerodynamics lesson plan students make a simple parachute and investigate different variables that can cause potential problems.

Students design a skydiver and parachute constraption to demonstrate how drag caused by air resistance slows the descent of skydivers as they travel back to Earth. They experience how gravity pulls the skydiver toward the earth and how...

Sixth graders make 2 different kinds of parachutes and record and graph the time for each one for the different drag forces. In this parachute lesson plan, 6th graders compare the results to the rest of the class of each parachute and...

Students explore different size circles to discover the relationship between diameter and circumference. In this circles and Pi lesson, students construct simple parachutes using circle patterns of varying sizes. Students predict the...

Students explore the concept of color awareness and matching. In this color awareness lesson, students participate in a parachute activity to build their knowledge of matching colors. This activity involves using a beanbag and parachute...

Students participate in a parachute activity. In this physical education lesson, students use teamwork to lift a parachute and keep soft balls on top of it. Students demonstrate how working together can accomplish a goal.

Learners will have fun creating a parachute to collect data with. They will construct the parachute in small groups, measure the materials, and create an observation sheet. Then they drop the parachute and make predictions about how long...

Learners create a simple paper parachute. In this parachute design lesson, students examine the effects of the wind and make napkin parachutes.  

Take a look at this cooperative learning activity. The goal of the activity is to transport nuclear waste (a cup of water) from point A to point B without spilling the toxic waste. There are several ideas given here for things to use to...

Learners move from one parachute to another, based on a color called out by the teacher. Students attempt to move before the teacher counts to five. Learners discuss direction and moving in clockwise and counter clockwise directions.

To improve mobility, social skill development, and the concept of position, learners with physical disabilities work together to raise and lower a hula hoop over their heads. The activity is short and intended to be used as a warm-up.

Help your class understand the design challenges when trying to land a remote spacecraft on a planet. Class members examine the provided information to understand how each component of a spacecraft is designed in order to safely land a...

Second graders experiment to understand how force is effected by friction.  In this forces in action activity, 2nd graders view a website to simulate what happens when the height of a ramp is changed. Students participate in an...

Students investigate how to make a good parachute. In this physics lesson, students observe the motion of parachutes as it falls and measure the time. They collect data and calculate the average descent time for each canopy shape.

Challenge small groups to build a structure that catches a raw egg without breaking—working collaboratively and applying mathematical and engineering principles. Pretending the frame was made by a business, scholars create a marketing...

Pupils study drag and how it affects a parachute in the sky.  For this parachutes lesson students build models and compare their drag. 

Students investigate how weight affects a parachute's rate of fall.  In this investigative instructional activity students test parachutes, average results and conclude what makes a faster descent.

Students investigate space travel. In this space travel lesson students examine space exploration history, engineers and scientists involved in space exploration, and Newton's third law of motion. Students make rockets.

Space diving refers to the act of jumping from outer space and falling through Earth's atmosphere before parachuting to land. Scholars learn about this extreme activity and study the layers of the atmosphere they must conquer in the...