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Balloons, Gases and Hand's on Fun
New on Outschool
In this 6 week class we will explore gases (helium, air, hydrogen and carbon dioxide) and their properties. Doing this in ways that are all about fun where the learning is almost by accident instead of design.
Class experience
US Grade 3 - 6
Beginner - Intermediate Level
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum
Aligned with State-Specific Standards
Learners will be guided through what makes gases different from liquids and solids. Demonstration-rich instruction that aim to educate while having fun. We will make carbon dioxide and each learner will be encouraged to have the necessary materials to follow along during that class. Nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and helium will be the focus of demonstrations and discussion. As the course title suggests we will compute how many helium balloons would be needed to "float away."
6 lessons//6 Weeks
Week 1Lesson 1I have a dreamdaydreaming about being carried away by a myriad of helium balloons. Sets the stage for gases, balloons, properties. Featured gas helium.Week 2Lesson 2A well planned and executed chemical reactionThe mixing of baking soda and vinegar to make carbon dioxide. Comparison of heavy CO2 to light He to normal air.Week 3Lesson 3Just how much gas is in that balloon?comparison of lung capacity to balloon size. Holding your breath under water, flying balloons around a room, using balloons to "power" musical instruments, etc. Show and tell over and over again. Introduction to fan speed and moving air.Week 4Lesson 4Lessons 1 & 2 revisited.A more quantitative look at payload lifting relative to balloon volume and CO2 production relative to ingredient quantities.Week 5Lesson 5The Hindenburg disasterCombustible hydrogen and other dangerous gases and examples of "things gone wrong." Includes video from outside experiment.Week 6Lesson 6Best laid plansAn opportunity to revisit, repeat, clarify, etc. Sort of depends on how the first 5 lessons play out.
Students will both watch and participate in. They will come to appreciate just how much gas balloons hold compared to their own lungs. They will laugh when they hear how voices change when the "air" passing through vocal cords has its air density modified. They will witness a miniature Hindenburg disaster.
Clifton Draper has a PhD in physical chemistry and after retiring early from Bell Labs he followed his dream of teaching elementary school science and math in New Jersey. As an elementary school science specialist he taught EVERY child in the school grades K - 6 twice weekly. He was selected by his peers for recognition in teaching excellence for the Governor's Award in 2007. More importantly he was often accused by the older students, parents, teachers and administration of being a "game show host" as much as a teacher.
Homework Offered
Assessments Offered
Grades Offered
1 file available upon enrollmentIn Class #2 learners will follow along as make carbon dioxide gas trapped inside a balloon from the reaction of vinegar and baking soda. Having the necessary supplies is not a requirement, but a learner will feel left out if others are doing and they are left to watch only. Learners will need a small box of baking soda, a quart size bottle of distilled or white vinegar, a funnel, an empty plastic water bottle (16 oz size) , half a dozen balloons typical of what might be used at a birthday party.
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Learners will be guided through the use of vinegar and baking soda to produce and capture the carbon dioxide gas in a balloon attached to a plastic water bottle. Because the gas-filled balloon is under pressure the seal of the balloon to the water bottle opening needs to be secure. Leaky seals can result in spraying of vinegar and baking soda into the immediate area. If parent or learner would like a web-based preview visit link mentioned below. in external resources. The use of baking soda and vinegar to fill balloons or simulate a volcanic eruption are widely posted; especially in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) web-based site.
The children's book titled "Too Many Balloons" authored by Catherine Matthias will be used in the class to illustrate student imagination about being lifted off the ground by party balloons filled with helium. Learners may be pointed toward historical gas-based disasters; for example the news reels covering the Hindenburg disaster. In this way parents can determine themselves if real-life disasters involving gases are age appropriate for their child.
New on Outschool
Hands On Science and Math are my specialty. I worked as a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Bell Labs; the R&D arm of the once Bell Telephone System. After retiring early from Bell Labs I pursued my interest in becoming an elementary...
Group Class
$20
for 6 classes1x per week, 6 weeks
60 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-11
4-8 learners per class
