oForce and Motion: Rocket on a String
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Vocabulary: Air, Blow, Distance, Farther, Force, Inflate, Motion, Move, Big, Small, Fast, Slow, Faster and Faster, Slower and Slower, Time
Materials: String or fishing line, plastic drinking straws, balloons, tape
Activity: Inflate a balloon, release the air and watch what happens. Hold an inflated balloon, release the air into someone else's hands. Release an inflated balloon and let it fly around the room. Make a rocket on a string. (Tape a partly inflated, untied balloon, to the straw on a string that is strung across the room.) Release the inflated balloon rocket.
Measurement: Measure how far the balloon traveled. Measure the distance around the balloon.
Resource: Williams, R et al. (2010). Preschool Scientist, pgs. 94-95. (Buy on Amazon)
oBig Ideas from Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
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Properties of Matter: How does the size, shape or color of a balloon affect how far it travels?
Force and Motion: How does the slope of the string affect how far the balloon travels?
Earth Science: How is fracking used to crack apart shale, to release natural gas?
Characteristics of Organisms: How do humans inhale or release air? How does a puffer fish inflate?
Tools and Measurement: How does the amount a balloon is inflated affect how far it travels?
oAdditional Photos
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Rocket Before Launch
Rocking During Flight
Rocket Nearing End of Flight
Straw Threaded on a String
Straw Taped to Balloon
