Science Buddies
Science Buddies: How Does a Hovercraft Hover?
In this activity, you will get to build your own mini hovercraft. How will different amounts of air in the balloon affect how long the hovercraft hovers?
Museum of Science
Museum of Science and Industry: Activities: Fly a Hot Air Balloon
Step-by-step instructions, with photos, of how to construct a hot-air balloon from tissue paper, to demonstrate that heated air expands, creating a convection current. This activity requires the use of a hot air gun and is labor-intensive.
Maryland Science Center
Maryland Science Center: Balloon Kabob [Pdf]
Learn how to push a skewer through a balloon without actually popping it, and why this is possible.
Maryland Science Center
Maryland Science Center: Barnyard Ballooning [Pdf]
This is a design challenge where students create a basket, attach it to a balloon, add eggs, and drop it all from a height to see if their design protects the eggs from cracking.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Build a Balloon Car
With craft and recycled materials, kids can make all kinds of rolling vehicles. Add balloons to make this balloon car and see Newton's laws of motion in action.
Read Works
Read Works: Adventure on a Hot Air Balloon
[Free Registration/Login Required] This first person account describes a hot air balloon trip. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and establishes scaffolding for...
Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association: Science & Health
A collection of articles on science and health topics related to Texas. Includes research using scientific balloons, county health statistics, mineral-water spas, the work of the Southwest Science Institute, science research at...
NASA
Nasa Science: Hunting for Halley's Comet
Imagine riding a balloon to the top of Earth's atmosphere to catch a piece of Comet Halley. During the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, Earth passes through a dust trail left by the most famous comet. This article details how a group of...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Balloon Rockets in 1 D
In this inquiry activity, students solve a 1D motion challenge in groups. Students build their own balloon rocket from the materials provided with little guidance from the instructor. They collect data and use it to prepare a position...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Balloon Rockets
In this activity, students will learn that compressed air creates pressure to propel an air balloon. Students will create a graph in their science journals based on the relationship between the number of air pumps and the distance the...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Conversation Piece
Did you know a balloon filled with carbon dioxide can act as an amplifier? In this activity test how sound travels through carbon dioxide molecules.
Science is Fun
Science Is Fun: Bernoulli's Principle
An experiment with a balloon and a wind tube that investigate how Bernoulli's Principle applies to a stream of moving air.
Other
The Expanding Balloon Experiment
Great science experiment to help aide in the understanding of the Big Bang Theory. Students are able to complete this experiment with little materials and individually.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: How Does a Hovercraft Work?
Riding on a hovercraft is like gliding on a cushion of air. Make your own mini hovercraft in this experiment to test how hovercrafts work.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Yeasty Beasties
While looking at a package of dry yeast it is hard to believe it is alive. But add the right ingredients and presto, the mixture becomes a bubbly, oozing, mess of life. What are the right ingredients? Do this experiment and figure it out...
Science Bob Pflugfelder
Science Bob: Make Your Own Balloon Rocket!
This site contains a brief procedure for building (and launching) a balloon powered rocket. Introduces concepts of air pressure and propulsion.
Science Fun for Everyone
Science Fun: Balloon Pop! Not!
In this fast and fun science experiment video, we will teach you how to stick a needle in a balloon without popping the balloon. Video tutorial included.
Science Fun for Everyone
Science Fun: Balloon Speakers
Learn about sound waves with this science experiment. All you need is a balloon!
How Stuff Works
How Stuff Works: How Helium Balloons Work
This article explains how helium is able to keep balloons afloat in the air. Compares them to how hot air balloons work. Includes a video, and some activities to try for testing the principles being discussed.
Science is Fun
Science Is Fun: Needle Through a Balloon
In this experiment, you will learn how to push a needle right through an inflated balloon without popping it, and why this is possible.
Science is Fun
Science Is Fun: The Fireproof Balloon
In this experiment, two balloons are each placed over a lighted match, but the one that has had water placed inside it does not burst. Includes an explanation of why that is so.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: States of Matter: Which Will Propel the Balloon?
For this activity, learners take part in a simulation of the three states of matter where they role play being molecules. They then create simple balloon rockets and must explain why a gas is the only state of matter that can cause the...
Science Bob Pflugfelder
Science Bob: Build a Fizz Inflator [Pdf]
Science Bob provides all the instructions to create a balloon inflating contraption that uses the chemical reaction of vinegar and baking soda.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Measure the Pressure
Scientists have developed an instrument called a barometer that can measure atmospheric pressure. In this activity, you will find out how a barometer works by building one yourself.