Are you ready for some hands-on science fun? Today, we’re going to make parachutes! Have you ever seen a parachute in action? Maybe you’ve played with one at school or watched a skydiver land safely. But have you ever wondered how parachutes work? It’s all about something called drag!
Drag happens when something moves through air or water. When an object moves, it pushes against tiny air particles, and those particles push back. You experience drag all the time! For example, when you’re swinging on a playground and feel the wind on your face, that’s drag. Your body is moving through the air, hitting those tiny particles, and they push back on you.
A parachute works by creating more drag. For a skydiver, the parachute is much larger than their body, so it catches more air particles. This extra drag slows the skydiver down, helping them land safely.
Now that we know how drag works, let’s create our own parachute! Here’s what you’ll need:
First, ask a grown-up to help you cut three pieces of string, making sure they’re all the same length. Next, tape the strings evenly around the edge of the coffee filter. Then, tape the other ends of the strings evenly around the top of the cup. And ta-da! You’ve made a parachute!
Now it’s time to test it! Find a safe place to drop your parachute, like from a balcony or the top of a stairwell. Make sure to ask for permission and help from an adult.
First, drop the cup without the parachute to see how fast it falls. Then, attach the parachute and drop it again. You’ll notice the cup falls more slowly because the parachute creates drag. Finally, put a small toy in the cup and see if the parachute can slow it down too.
If your parachute doesn’t slow down your toy enough, don’t worry! Try making a bigger parachute or using different materials. Experimenting is part of the fun!
We hope you enjoyed making parachutes with us today. If you want to share your parachute photos and stories, ask a grown-up to leave a comment or send an email to [email protected]. Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you next time!
Parachute Design Challenge: Try creating parachutes using different materials. Use a plastic bag, a piece of fabric, or even a large leaf. Predict which material will create the most drag and slow down the fall the most. Test each parachute by dropping them from the same height and observe which one lands the slowest. Discuss why some materials might work better than others.
Drag Race: Go outside on a windy day and run with different objects to feel the drag. Use a large piece of cardboard, a small towel, and a plastic bag. Hold each one while running and notice how the wind pushes against them. Which object creates the most drag and slows you down the most? Talk about how this relates to how parachutes work.
Parachute Art: Decorate your parachute with drawings or stickers. Think about how the design might affect the parachute’s performance. Does adding weight with stickers change how it falls? Try adding different decorations and see if they make a difference in how the parachute works. Share your decorated parachute with friends and explain how it uses drag to slow down the fall.
