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:...

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...

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.

Students make and observe the flight of simple parachutes. In this parachute lesson, students listen to Henry M. Holden's, Fire-Fighting Aircraft and Smoke Jumpers. They make parachutes out of plastic bags, tape, and strings before...

Students study the invention of the parachute and how Leonardo da Vinci came up with the design.  In this aerodynamics lesson students test the properties that make parachutes more efficient.

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...

Fourth graders construct a parachute using specified materials in a set amount of time. They observe a toy parachute attached to a toy man and discuss what makes him move slower or faster. Then in small groups they design, construct,...

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...

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

Stress isn't necessarily a bad thing. The key, however, is learning how to appreciate eustress and manage distress. "Parachute Stress," a lesson designed for high school freshmen, has them identify 10 major stressors as well as the...

Students make a parachute. In this air resistance lesson, students create a parachute using materials they think will work the best. Students try out their parachutes, noting which one worked the best. Students discuss how the size,...

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...

Students examine how parachutes work, and research and discuss the first man to envision and sketch the first parachute. They analyze air resistance, drag force, drop time, and terminal velocity.

The classic "Egg Drop Activity" is described in this fine science lesson plan. Young scientists work together to design a container that will protect the eggs inside of it when dropped from a high place. Lots of good scientific...

Students are presented with the problem of constructing a parachute that has the maximum hang time. They construct their own parachute using available materials. Pupils drop their parachutes from a height of two meters and record the...

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

Learners participate in a simulation of a parachute-jump competition by making paper parachutes and then dropping them towards a target on the floor. They measure the distance from the point where the paper parachute lands compared to...

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...

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...

Students construct a pathfinder that could land an egg safely. In this physics lesson plan, students explain the factors affecting the dynamics of falling objects. They evaluate their pathfinder design.

Students read books, learn about the letter c, and eat roasted peanuts all to learn about the circus. In this circus lesson plan, students also use design their own tickets and have parachute play.

Students work together to develop their own parachuting probe. They test it and record the results. They simulate other experiments that are going to be carried out by the Huygens probe.

Students study deceleration devices like parachutes and parafoils.

Students examine force and conduct activities that model parachutes and helicopters.  In this airplanes instructional activity students identify the forces that make airplanes fly higher and land.