Make A Tissue Paper Parachute - STEM Activity

You've seen for yourself, or in videos, planes flying, rockets hurdling towards space, boats racing through the water and submarines exploring the depths of the ocean. Have you ever stopped and thought about the aerodynamics and hydrodynamics involved in their operation? There is a lot of interesting science that goes into how they work! Read more

Have you ever wondered what a parachute and an open rain jacket have in common? They both trap air and slow you down when you move fast! In this activity, you design a parachute for a miniature action figure. Tissue paper or a plastic bag and a few strings is all it takes to make your figure into an expert skydiver. Read more

Forces, which we might instinctively describe as pushes and pulls, are acting on us at all times, but we cannot always see them. This hands-on lesson offers a fun opportunity to explore "invisible" forces like gravity and air resistance. Students will build parachutes and investigate how they allow skydivers to safely land. Read more

Follow along with a Science Buddies parent who is using family STEM activities to keep her kids learning at home during the COVID-19 school shutdown. New posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Today's adventure... playtime and science time converge when building parachutes for favorite toys. Building Toys Drives Away Boredom "I'm bored" is one of those sentences I hate as a parent. It ranks right up there with "Are we there yet?". These days… Read more

Join Science Buddies this summer for virtual summer camp! Each week, we'll have a fun STEM theme for kids of all ages, suggestions for simple hands-on activities, book picks, and more. With our Summer of STEM, we'll keep you and your kids inspired all summer with creative and innovative science and engineering activities — for free. This week: up, up, and away with superhero science! Superhero STEM Superhero stories appeal to people of all ages.… Read more

Try these clever STEM activities to connect hands-on science and engineering to the ever-popular world of Mario! Let's-a go! Your kids and students probably know Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and the Mario World gang, and chances are you do, too! March 10 is Mario Day, so known because in the right typeface, M A R 1 0 looks like M A R I O. (Once you see it, you see it!) This is the kind of clever… Read more

Explore aerodynamics with science projects related to planes, helicopters, drones, rockets, and more! Aerodynamics Sciences Projects and Experiments Students interested in the science of flight or the design of things like planes, rockets, and helicopters, can experiment with science projects like the ones highlighted below. These experiments cover important principles of aerodynamics, aeronautics, and physics, including the four forces that act… Read more