The balloon rocket will show kids how a balloon without direction can become a missile of sorts! This balloon science experiment will help them understand how freedom in Christ means having direction – just like our founding fathers did.
Materials
– One balloon (the longer “airship” balloons work best but the round ones will work too)
– One drinking straw
– 10 to 15 feet of kite string
– Tape
Instructions
1. Tie one end of the string to a doorknob or nail it to the wall for support.
2. Thread the other end of the string through the straw.
3. Tie the loose end of the string to something for support (e.g. chair, leg of table, etc.).
4. Blow up the balloon and pinch the end (don’t tie it), and have a helper tape the balloon to the straw.
5. Let go and watch your rocket zoom!
Explanation
When you blow up the balloon, you are filling it with air. When you release the balloon, the stretched balloon constricts and pushes the air out with great force. This forced-out air propels the balloon across the room like a rocket.
Application
Balloons can remind of us of freedom, in how they bounce around happily, just blowing in the wind. We have that bouncy, happy freedom in Christ, but he calls on us to make sacrifices and to have a bit of direction! Apostle Paul states in Romans 6:22, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
Being a slave to God does not have the same meaning as the more common uses of slavery. For one, he is not a taskmaster! He is our heavenly father who never takes advantage. The balloon hooked to the string is a lot like how we are as Christians. We attach ourselves to the Lord and he will get us where we are going, fast and without hesitation! As we celebrate freedom this weekend, let’s remember to hook our new bouncy and happy nature to the back of the Holy Spirit, who will give us direction and a great sense of value!
You might also be interested in these other science experiments & ideas!
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This is out of season, but in Spring, get an auaqrium with bubblers and regular fish tank gravel. Go find some frog eggs. Take them to school. Don’t get TOO many 2 or 3 clusters of them. The water doesn’t need to be heated, but it should be mostly swamp water. Put a little sea weed in there, and a few small rocks. The eggs will hatch, there will be polywogs, and when the legs start to emerge, it’s time to put them back in the swamp or a small lake. They will learn about metamorphisis. You can talk to the DNR and do more research before the experiment it was 50 years ago when I did this in elementary school, so I don’t remember what we used for food. Before the eggs are hatched, the swamp water has enough nutrients in it to support any nutrition they might need. It was neat. We had pictures of frogs, and replica frogs (leopard) displayed around the auaqrium. It was an awesome project and exhibit. Did this in 2nd or 3rd grade in the 50 s. Also, with technology as it is today, the “past” is fading away. Kids need to know about Ben Frankilin, Thomas Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell. They need to know about “tin can telephones” and make some at school.References :