Flying Hovercraft

Flying Hovercraft

★Friction is the force that stops/prevents an object from moving on forever. In this experiment, we will find out how the hovercraft works with and without friction.

★Time: 15 minutes (including setup and clean up)

★Cost: $2

★Area of Science and Topic:Physics

★Learning Objectives: Students will be able to learn how objects move differently when either there is friction or no friction. They would also get to know more about friction.

★Materials:

1. CD

2. bottle

3. balloon

4. scissors or cutter knife

5. glue gun

★Procedure:

1. First, get all materials needed.

2. With the scissors, cut the top part of the bottle.

3. Glue the part of the bottle to the center of the CD with a glue gun like this:

4. When the glue is dry, pull the balloon over the bottle top like this:

5. Through the hole at the bottom of the CD, blow the balloon.

6. Try sliding the hovercraft on a smooth surface. Observe what happens.

★How does this experiment work?

When the balloon is blown, the air comes out through the hole at the bottom of the CD. The air pushes the ground, which makes the hovercraft float. When it floats, there is no contact between the ground and the CD, thus there is no friction. When friction is not present, an object moves faster and smoother. As the air from the balloon is slowly used up the CD would also slowly land on the ground, making friction present. Eventually, the hovercraft would stop at rest.
Watch this video below and compare the movement of the CD with the balloon and the CD without the balloon. How is the presence of air(balloon) related to the presence of friction in this experiment?

★Tips for making the experiment work best with kids: 

Ask an adult for help when using the glue gun.

So that the kids could have some fun, let them blow the balloon.

Water Fountain

★Let's make our own water fountain!

★Time : about an hour (including setup and cleanup) 

★Cost $: suppose to be $0, if every materials are in the home.

★Area of Science and Topic: General Science / Physics 

★Learning objectives (what kids should learn as a result of performing this experiment): Students will learn about the movement of air.

★Materials: 
＊3 transparent plastic bottles
＊straws that can be bent
＊strong tape
＊a cutter and a pair of scissors (to make a whole and to cut) 
＊glue gun

＊water

★Procedure: 
1. Stick bottoms of two bottles together.


2. Cut the bottles in half. Upper half of this bottle is not used, so you can throw it away.


3. Make two hole on the lower half of the bottle we just cut so that straws can pass through. Do not glue them yet!


4. stick the cut bottle to a side of the other bottle in procedure 1.




6. Make a hole below the attached bottle. (upper bottle)


7. Make another hole on the lower part of the bottle. (lower bottle)


8. Connect the bottles with straws and glue them.

9. On the other side of the bottle, like the way we did, make holes on the upper bottle and the lower bottle and connect them with straws and glue them.

10. Fill water in the upper bottle. (not so much that water comes out of the straw)

11. Pour water in the cut bottle and observe the water coming out!


★Tips for making the experiment work best with kids: 
 - Using a glue gun needs careful attention.



 - The holes must be glued carefully that there is no leaking of air or water.