Balloon Rocket Racer

Balloon Racer — STEM Build

The balloon rocket racer challenge is a STEM build where students work individually or in groups of 2 to brainstorm ideas, design, and eventually build a balloon rocket racer. The major objective is to have the racer go as far as possible, but I always stress that it's also very important for the racer to go straight. This makes recording data simpler, and usually the designs that go straight consistently are also the ones that go the farthest (although there are always exceptions). The videos below go through the lesson sequentially.

Balloon Rocket Racer — Intro
Lesson Overview (presentation)
Click Here to Download the Materials List for the Racer
Click Here to Download Support Files for the Racer
Balloon Rocket Racer — Design Sheet Video
Balloon Rocket Racer — Safety!
Balloon Rocket Racer — Tips

Reference:

I based this lesson largely from the following lesson idea: http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/activity-ballon-powered-car/. I still use the templates from the website as well as a modified version of the design sheet.