Museum of Science
Balloon Racers
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.
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride (Priceman)
What a fun way to explore new vocabulary words! Marjorie Priceman's book Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride offers plenty of new words for scholars to learn in context: amateur, assembled, demonstration,...
Curated OER
Balloon Powered Race Cars
Learners examine Newton's Law of Motion and use the formula to calculate speed. In this laws of motion instructional activity students create a balloon powered car and calculate its speed and distance.
Curated OER
Go Car, Go!
Students design and build their own car. In this physics lesson, students collect data to determine the speed of the car. They plot the data on the graph analyze the relationship between variables.
Kenan Fellows
The Newton Challenge
Make Newton proud. Scholars apply their understanding of forces and energy to an engineering design challenge. They learn about simple machines, create a presentation on Newton's laws, and develop a balloon-powered car.
Curated OER
Rocket Car
Students construct a balloon-powered rocket car from a Styrofoam tray, pins, tape, and a flexible straw, and test it along a measured track on the floor. They experiment with ways of increasing the distance the rocket car travels.
Curated OER
Transportation
Explore the world of transportation using this ESL presentation. With pictures and labels for all kinds of transportation, including airplanes, hot air balloons, and race cars, the slide show is great for reviewing vocabulary from your...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot Air-Balloon Ride
Students analyze tier two vocabulary words. In this vocabulary lesson, students investigate new vocabulary words while reading. Students record their vocabulary words in a word journal or discovery chart.
Curated OER
Newton in Motion Project
Students investigate Newton's Third Law of Motion as it exits in real world applications. They watch as the teacher makes a simple balloon powered car before explaining how the motion of the car demonstrates Newton's Third Law of Motion....
Curated OER
Vectors
Students describe a complex path by the use of adding vectors. They are explained the procedures and rules of the balloon car race. Students are remined that the summary and answers to the questions are due Monday. They are given the...
Curated OER
Surface Friction and Wear Characteristics of Common Materials
High schoolers identify the factors affecting friction. In this physics lesson, students construct their own rocket car and race them. They graph the average speeds and discuss how lubricants affect friction between rubbing surfaces.
Curated OER
Field Day Water Activities
Students participate in a variety of Field Day Water Activities including: Waterslide:
Cheap Man's Dunking Booth:
Sponge Relay:
Sponge Race:
Water Bucket Relay:
Water relay:
Tug of War:
Squirt bottle race
Water Balloon Smash:
Colorado State University
What Is Energy?
Don't let the energy of your classroom falter! Explore the scientific definition of energy through play. A hands-on lesson focuses on the change of energy from one form to another.
Curated OER
Velocity and Acceleration
In this velocity and acceleration instructional activity, students determine the distance walked and the displacement of a person who walks 15 m west and 20 m east. Then they determine the resultant velocity of a bicyclist who rides 10...
Curated OER
Newton's Laws
Eighth graders distinguish between and apply Newton's Laws. They take a quiz reviewing Kinetic and Potential Energy. Students explain that they have just demonstrated Newton's three laws of motion. They also explain what forces are...
Curated OER
Get Rid of "And"
Run-on sentences using and are all too common in our youngsters' writing. Have them read these different paragraphs to determine where they can remove some of the ands. Consider doing this activity as a whole class on the overhead or...
Curated OER
Present Perfect Interrogative
In this present perfect interrogative learning exercise, learners choose the correct sentences that match the pictures and make questions using the present perfect tense. Students complete 26 problems total.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Balloon Car
Students will design, build, and race balloon-powered cars in this fun lesson that teaches about engineering design and kinetic and potential energy.
Middle School Science
Middle School Science: Balloon Powered Race Cars
An idea developed by a physical science teacher who applied Newton's Laws of Motion in creating a balloon powered race car. Find simple objective, materials, rules, and procedures.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: 4 Wheel Balloon Car
Create your own 4-wheel balloon cars with simple household items and race them across the floor.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: 2 Wheel Balloon Car
Make your own 2-wheel, air-power cars and race them or play games with them. Balloons and straws are them main components.