Today we’ll be doing a unit meeting activity
called Vortex from the topic Magnificent machines
with our friends at the Royal Air Force
Come fly with us and find out how vortexes help us soar through the skies
Create your own vortex air cannon
and knock out the competition!
What do you think a plane needs to fly
Talk about all the parts an aeroplane has
wings, wheels… what else?
Can you make the shape of an aeroplane using your body?
Wings are really important to keep planes in the air
As planes travel
air rushes around the wings at different speeds
which causes a vortex that stops the plane falling
A vortex is a spinning flow of air
It’s time to create your very own vortex cannon
You will need
A plastic bottle, a balloon,
scissors and masking tape
Plus, some paper cups if you have any
or you could you some paper folded in half
If you have a latex allergy, swap the balloons for stretchy material
Start by cutting your bottle into two pieces
just below the neck
Be careful – the edge of the bottle might be sharp
Put a layer of masking tape around the sharp edge
Now cut the neck off your balloon
and stretch it across the bottle so the balloon is tight
To try out your cannon, pull back the balloon and let go
Your cannon creates a vortex
The balloon pushes out a spinning flow of air
This is like the air travelling around an aeroplane’s wing
keeping it up
If you have any paper cups try lining your cups up in a row
When your leader says Go
your aim is to knock over all your paper cups
using your vortex cannon
Aim your cannon at the particular cup you
want to knock over
Who was the fastest to knock their cups down?
When you're finished you can dismantle your vortex cannons
and recycle the bottles
Thanks for joining in
This activity was from unit meeting activity pack 7
for more fun activities head to the Girlguiding shop
www.girlguidingshop.co.uk
