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How Can Gravity Make Something Go Up?
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In this activity, learners use cheap, thin plastic garbage bags to quickly build a solar hot air balloon. In doing so, learners will explore why hot air rises.
Dunking the Planets
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In this demonstration, learners compare the relative sizes and masses of scale models of the planets as represented by fruits and other foods.
Snowstorm in a Jar
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In this activity, learners will experiment with density and chemical reactions to create a flurry activity.
Submarine: Soda Cup Lander
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In this activity (on page 2), learners create a submarine using a plastic cup. This is a fun way to learn about buoyancy and density.
Hot Air Balloon
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In this activity, learners build a hot air balloon using just a few sheets of tissue paper and a hair dryer.
Pressing Pressure
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In this activity, learners compare water pressure at different depths. Learners discover that water pressure increases with depth.
Exploring the Ocean with Robots
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In this activity, learners are introduced to robotic submarines called gliders. Learners make “gliders” from plastic syringes and compare these to Cartesian bottles and plastic bubbles.
Toasty Wind
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In this quick activity, learners use a toaster to investigate the source for the Earth's wind. Learners hold a pinwheel above a toaster to discover that rising heat causes wind.
Submersibles and Marshmallows
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In this activity, learners discover the difficulty of ocean exploration by human beings as they investigate water pressure.
The Great Plankton Race
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In this activity, learners are challenged to design a planktonic organism that will neither float like a cork nor sink like a stone.
Above Water: Buoyancy & Displacement
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In an investigation called "Shape It!" learners craft tiny boats out of clay, set them afloat on water and then add weight loads to them, in order to explore: how objects stay afloat in water; what th
Uplifting Force: Buoyancy & Density
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In this investigation, learners explore the force known as buoyancy by placing various objects into water and observing how they behave (for example, which sink more quickly, which float, how much wat
What Causes Pressure?
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In this kinesthetic activity that demonstrates pressure, learners act as air molecules in a "container" as defined by a rope.
A Pressing Engagement
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In this quick and easy activity and/or demonstration, learners illustrate the effect of the weight of air over our heads.
Balloon Flinker
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In this activity, learners make a helium balloon "flink"--neither float away nor sink to the ground. Use this activity to introduce physics concepts related to gravity, density, and weight.
Dancing Raisins
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In this activity, learners will explore density and it's relationship with mass.
Convection Demonstration
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In this quick activity (located on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Balloon Fiesta Activity), learners will see the effects of convection and understand what makes hot air balloons rise.
Submarine: Lift Bag Lander
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In this activity (on page 4), learners create a submarine using a plastic sandwich bag. This is a fun way to learn about buoyancy and how captured gas can cause objects to float.
Inverted Bottles
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In this activity, learners investigate convection by using food coloring and water of different temperatures.
Heavy Air
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In this activity and/or demonstration, learners illustrate visually and physically that air has weight. Learners balance two equally-inflated balloons hanging from string on a yard stick.