Can you make your toys fly? We did, with a bit of help and experimentation and one very brave cow. Why a cow? That was just a bit of silliness that I couldn’t resist. Learn how to do a Parachute Experiment for kids. Where your kids will do a bit of engineering to see if they can make their toys airborne.
If you have little army men or something else to aim for, you could really have a lot of fun pretending that these flying cows are up to something.
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Materials you’ll need
You’re going to need:
1. A cow figurine, preferably one who isn’t afraid of heights.
2. String or ribbon
3. A handkerchief
4. A sheet of paper
5. A plastic bag or plastic tablecloth.
6. Scissors
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Method
Steps to follow:
1. Cut a square out of the plastic and the paper that is the same size as the handkerchief.
2. Cut 4, equally long pieces of string, about 20 – 30 cm in length.
3. Attach the square of material to the cow with the string.
4. Throw/drop the cow off of somewhere high. Like a tree, a ladder or a slide.
5. Time how long it takes for the cow to reach the ground.
6. Repeat the process using both the paper and the plastic and record the results. Then compare to see which parachute kept the cow in the air the longest.
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Alternative experiments
As an alternative, you could also experiment with the size of the parachute. Will a larger parachute make the cow fly for longer? Try it and see.
Is the wind blowing in a certain direction? How can you use that to get the cow to land in a hula hoop that you’ve placed on the ground?
Does throwing the cow have a different flight pattern to when it’s just dropped?
How can you avoid that tree that it always seems to get stuck on?
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There’s a lot of fun to be had with this STEM experiment, and it doesn’t have to end just because you’ve figured out the best way to make the cow fly. Now that the cow is equipped with the best parachute you have tested, it’s time to go on an adventure.
Are you going to try this Parachute Experiment for kids? Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.
