Fast and Furious

This STEM activity is suitable for elementary and middle school levels. It is designed to enhance children's communication and motor skills through engaging and fun activities. Understanding concepts like reverse force, elasticity, air, and energy is crucial for children's development. After reading the story, you can ask students, "How do you think Tako and Ruka could play a game with balloons?" and encourage them to share their ideas while showing them the balloons.

Furthermore, games are important actions for children to actualize themselves and should be regularly incorporated into the educational process.

Objective of the Activity:

leaf Enhancing individual communication and motor activities

leaf Promoting enjoyment from both group and individual activities

leaf Developing children's ability to control themselves

leaf Creating awareness that there are scientific concepts behind every action children perform

Once Upon a Story

Tako returned home from shopping with his grandfather. They found Ruka sleeping at home. Ruka was so deeply asleep that he didn't even hear them come in.

Tako helped his grandfather take the groceries to the kitchen. After washing his hands, he sat down at the computer to research a topic he was curious about. He pressed the power button, but the computer didn't turn on. He checked and realized the computer wasn't plugged in... He didn't understand what was happening, so he went to his grandfather, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, and asked him. His grandfather had heard that the transformer in their village had malfunctioned and there would be no electricity until evening. Tako was upset because the topic he wanted to research was very interesting to him.

He went to sit next to Ruka in the living room. Ruka was still asleep, wearing his cloak, soundly sleeping.

Shh? Ruka, are you going to sleep more?

Welcome back Tako! When did you arrive? I didn't even notice.

Just now. Looks like the power is out too. I'm bored and thought of a game. It's both fun and based on scientific principles. Would you like to play with me?

Uhmm I just woke up but asking is always a mistake Tako. You know how much I love learning new things about your world. Let's get started! What kind of game is it? Tell me, tell me!

Hahaha alright, calm down. We also have balloons at home. Let's get ready and play!

I hope it's a game where I can beat you too.

The two science enthusiasts quickly gathered the necessary materials. Tako immediately put on his lab coat. They gathered the remaining materials and started the experiment. Let's also try the same experiment they did. Sound good?

Materials

Tape Thread Balloon Pipette Chair

Activity

Step I

Cut a piece of string about 3 meters long and thread it through a straw. Avoid using the curved parts of the straw; if possible, use straws without curves or cut off the curved parts. Tie one end of the string to a chair. You will need additional chairs and strings for more students.

Step II

Tie the other end of the string to another chair. Pull the chairs to tighten the strings. Repeat the same process for a second string. You'll need at least two strings for a race between two people, but more strings can be used for larger races involving more students.

Step III

Now inflate a balloon and tape its mouth shut to prevent air from escaping. You can draw shapes on the balloons and make them resemble race cars! Give each balloon a number if you'd like. Next, tape the balloons onto the straws as shown in the adjacent picture. Pull the balloon from the straw so that its mouth is right over the chair, and remove the tape from its mouth without letting the air escape.

Step IV

Have another friend remove the tape from the other balloon. Count backwards slowly from three and release the mouths of the balloons! As the air inside the balloons tries to escape forcefully, it pushes the balloons forward. The first balloon to reach the second chair wins the race. Who won?

What's Happening?

As the balloon deflates, it tries to forcefully expel the air inside. The escaping air exerts a force in the opposite direction, causing the balloon attached to the straw to propel forward. Scientists describe this phenomenon as "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."

Attention!

This activity can be conducted both inside the classroom and outside of school premises.

Before the activity begins, distribute the balloons to the children and ask them to examine them. All balloons used should be of essentially the same quality. Different types of balloons can potentially create advantages or disadvantages during races.

Competitions can be photographed and displayed on boards.

Wherever the competition takes place, all popped or discarded balloons should be collected and disposed of in recycling bins.

Evaluation Questions

leaf What colors were the balloons?

leaf Do you think there could be a relationship between the color of the balloons and their speed?

leaf What factors might have influenced the speed of the balloons?

leaf What was the most challenging part of this competition for you?

leaf How did we inflate the balloons and with what?

leaf Do you think we could have inflated the balloons differently?

leaf What could be done to make the balloons go faster?

Activity File

Scientific Concepts

The scientific concepts related to this activity include: Force and Motion, Friction, Elasticity. You can explore these concepts further through your own research to discover interesting information!