Newsgroups: rec.scouting
Message-ID: <215@gws.win.net>
Reply-To: gaelwolf@gws.win.net (Norman J. MacLeod)
From: gaelwolf@gws.win.net (Norman J. MacLeod)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 02:55:59 GMT
Subject: Air Experiments
Lines: 48

Here are a few ideas you might like to try out (these work especialy
well for Beavers, Tigers, Joeys, and Cubs).


OXYGEN GENERATOR

        Fill a jam jar more or less to the top with water. Place a
        water plant (those things that grow in acquariums - available
        from most pet shops) carefully into it. Cover the top of the jar
        with a piece of glass and place near a good light source. The
        plant will produce bubbles of oxygen that will float to the
        water's surface.
        

HOVERCRAFT

        In order to make this, you will need a plastic margarine tub, a
        cotton reel (empty thread spool), balloons, and glue. Make a
        small hole in the cntre of the margarine tub, then glue the
        spool inside the tub, over the hole you made. You will need to
        allow the glue to dry very well, otherwise the tub and reel
        won't stay together. Blow up a balloon and fit it over the
        spool. Release the air from the balloon and the hovercraft will
        move along the floor or table-top. With a bit of effort,
        hovercraft can be raced against one another. 


BOUNCING BALLS

        Fairly simple - all you need is a supply of ping pong
        balls and a hair dryer (well, you might be able to have more fun
        with more than one dryer...). The object is simply to see how
        long you can keep ping pong balls in the air using the hair
        dryer. Loads of fun! 


The ideas are for you to use. If you like what you see here, may I
suggest you make an even trade by posting at least one idea of similar
calibre to the newsgroup? We can all use more ideas, since we can't
think of everything on our own!

If you actually use the ideas you find here, how about sharing your
experience with them after trying them out on the unsuspecting Scouts?
Not only is it good to see how ideas are accepted in other places, but
there are often some rather humourous incidents rising out of kids
trying new things for the first time... 

        Norman