General Science Extension Activities Lesson 11

Hands-on Activities

Straw and Potato Activity

Pass out 2 straws and slices of potato. With one straw, push it into the potato like you’re trying to drill straight into the ground — the straw should get smashed and bent. With a different straw, first trap air inside by covering one end fully with a finger, then try to push it into the potato. It should stay stronger and may even go into the potato. This shows the power of the air inside the straw.

Introduce the Layers of the Atmosphere

Introduce the layers of the atmosphere with a coloring page or other project.

Atmosphere Layers Coloring Page (PDF)

Races of Blowing Air

Have races of blowing air to push an object such as a feather or a ball of paper.

Sort or Draw Animals

Sort or draw animals that live in water and animals that live in air.

Play with Bubbles

Bubbles trap air inside a soap mixture.

Make Foam

Make foam by whisking dish soap and introducing air into it.

Air Can Lift Heavy Objects

Materials: plastic baggie, straw, and some books. First show that you can blow up the baggie with the straw. Insert the straw, gather the baggie so air can’t escape, and inflate/deflate it. Try blowing the books with just the straw. Then place the books on top of the baggie and inflate the baggie — the air should lift the books. How many books can you move?

Reference Info