Science Sunday - Balloons

I had forgotten how hard it is blow up a balloon.  My cheeks were sore for two days afterwards but it was so worth it.  The kids had a blast so it was well worth it.

Explaining Newton's second principle to 5 and 6 year olds is not an easy task but we did it and had fun in the process. I missed my camera tons while it was gone but never as bad as this day.
We started with a game of tug of war to capture their attention and getting them thinking about balancing forces. Then I blew up a balloon and the children explained why the balloon was bigger and that the air was forcing it out.  Then we released it and let it fly, several times.  And laughed and laughed. 

Eventually we harnessed the power of the air by attaching the balloon to a straw run on a string. We then raced the balloon along the string.  We saw how far it travelled when it was only partially blown up vs completely blown up. 

Finally I had the kids draw pictures of what they saw trying to show the air.  While the last couple kids were finishing up I read Mirandy and Brother Wind to them.