Balloon Rockets

A few days ago, I posted simple science experiment involving color changing carnations (click here if you missed it).  This too is very easy, involves materials you most likely have at home, practically no set up is required, no mess is made, and Nick LOVED it.  We did it over and over and over.  We'd still be doing it, if I hadn't said enough after about the twentieth time.  The photos are so funny.  I put my camera on sports setting to capture the actual experiment, then Nick's reaction.  Nick is hysterical, his facial expressions cracked us up.  I am going to attach photos of the experiment first, so you can duplicate it with your kids, if you'd like or just so you know what exactly we were doing, then a bunch of Nick's face. 

Enjoy!

Materials needed:
Two chairs
String (around 10 feet I'd say)
A balloon
Tape
A clothespin (not necessary, but does make it easier)

Brief explanation of the experiment:
You thread the string through the straw and tie the string to two different chairs levelly, making sure that the string is taught and straight.  You blow up the balloon and use a clothespin (or something similar: chip clip for example) to keep the balloon from deflating while you tape the balloon to the straw.  Once the balloon is taped to the straw (parallel to the ground), have your munchkin remove the clothespin, and watch the balloon shoot along the string.

Visuals help:

Nick removing clothespin from balloon.

It takes a second to shoot off because
I twisted the end of the balloon so air wouldn't seep out.

Then off it goes.

And this balloon is pretty big, so it would have kept going if the string had been longer,
so obviously the balloon size and length of string matters.

So, you get the idea.  Now, I take a bunch of pictures of his face.

It made such a loud noise that he let it go without taking the clothespin off fully.
It still went forward with some air escaping, just not as fast.



Again, again!
And this balloon didn't even shoot forward, it spun around the string,
 but stayed in place.

 

 

Whoa! It didn't move.

 And then he just wanted to release a balloon from his hand.  Equally, funny faces though.

 

And again!

 I told you we'd be here all day!

Next time, we'll propel a car!



If you liked this experiment, come see our color changing carnations here.