Hot Air Balloons

Each year, in a whole-group learning event, the 6th graders read the book Around the World in Eighty Days in their English Class. They do other work related to the book in Social Studies, but the big fun (what could be more fun than edible cars you ask?) is that they figure out how to make a hot air balloon out of tissue paper in science. They are put into groups, shown how to use a coat hanger, glue, tape, and tissue paper to make these balloons. All of the teachers help with this project. Finally, launch day arrives, and if it's not too windy or raining (which happens about 2/3 of the time) they get to launch their balloons. (I think the last time they were able to launch was the year the prince was in 6th grade.) As luck would have it, I was able to take my 8th grade class out to watch yesterday and snapped these photos with my cell phone.

Step 1: Take 3 smarty-pants girls who are

detailed enough to not miss a spot

when gluing and taping.

Step 2: Take your balloon to the dock to

fill with hot air

--what you don't see is the small bbq

with briquettes below that pipe.

Step 3: Almost there.


Step 4: And she's off!

Step 5: Wow! Their balloon is the smaller (higher) one. The lower one landed on school property. Theirs went over those trees and landed a few blocks from the school in someone's yard! Their balloon went the farthest this year, and they were very excited about that! Gotta love whole-group learning!