Lesson Plan (Grades K-2): Balloon-Powered Car Design - Exploring Thrust, Friction, and Simple Mechanics

Lesson Title: Balloon-Powered Car Design – Exploring Thrust, Friction, and Simple Mechanics

Grade Level: Grades K–2

Subject Area: Science (Force & Motion) / Engineering Design / Environmental Science

Overview In this hands-on, multi-session STEAM lesson, students become mechanical engineers and physicists as they design, build, and test balloon-powered cars constructed from recycled materials. Beginning with the driving question, “How can we use a balloon’s air thrust to make a car travel far and fast?”, learners will explore fundamental physics concepts: thrust (the force pushing the car forward when the balloon deflates), friction (resistance between wheels and surface), and basic mechanics (axles, wheels, and chassis). Through iterative design, data collection, and collaborative problem-solving, students will measure the distances traveled by different car designs, record and analyze their results, and refine their models for optimal performance. This project not only reinforces early science and engineering practices but also emphasizes environmental stewardship by using recycled materials and encourages creative thinking, fine motor skill development, and effective communication.

Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives

1. Conceptual Understanding: Identify and describe how thrust from escaping air propels the car forward, and how friction between wheels and surface slows it down.
2. Engineering Design: Design and construct a balloon-powered car chassis with wheels and axles, using recycled materials.
3. Prediction & Hypothesis: Predict which car design features (balloon placement, wheel size, chassis weight) will lead to the greatest travel distance.
4. Data Collection: Conduct multiple trials to measure distances traveled, record results accurately in tables, and calculate averages.
5. Analysis & Iteration: Compare performance across designs, interpret how thrust and friction influenced results, and propose design modifications for improvement.
6. Communication: Present findings, using simple graphs to show which designs performed best, and articulate reasoning behind design choices.

Standards Alignment

• Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
  • K-PS2-1: Plan and conduct investigations to compare the effects of different strengths or directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.
  • K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed.
• Common Core State Standards – Mathematics
  • K.MD.A.2: Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/“less of” the attribute (distance traveled).
  • 1.MD.C.4: Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points.
• NGSS Crosscutting Concepts
  • Cause and Effect: Understanding how the force of thrust causes motion and how friction resists motion.
  • Systems and System Models: Viewing the car as a system of parts (balloon, chassis, wheels) working together.