Balloon Car Mechanical Energy STEM Challenge

It’s balloon car time! Whether you are finishing up a unit on Newton’s Laws of Motion or looking for fun end-of-year science activities for your middle school, this hands-on STEM challenge will rope them into mechanical energy and action-reaction learning!

This low-prep, wallet-friendly STEM activity delivers content and instructions in an engaging comic format. If you have a handful of students who refuse to read the directions, this format will work wonders. Students find comics engaging and approachable. Take advantage of this with unique science comics!

Are you searching for a way to reinforce physical science concepts, such as Newton’s Laws, Action-Reaction, and Forces and Motion?

Do you want to challenge your students to apply their problem-solving skills?

Do you have a handful of students in your class who are wild about graphic novels?

This Balloon Car STEM Activity is exactly what you need!

Not only does this download provide instructions for a low-cost, low-prep STEM activity, but it encourages science literacy by presenting the instructions in comic form. Students will utilize common recyclables to build a car powered by a balloon. They will witness action-reaction for themselves as they apply their problem-solving skills and work as a team.

This download includes…

Balloon Car Illustrated Instructions

All of the steps are presented in a visual format
This will engage a wide range of readers

Wheel Construction Tutorial

When I did this activity with my students, they struggled the most with creating wheels for their cars
This page gives the kids some tips to help them create functioning wheels

Follow-up Questions

Tie the activity back to physical science (specifically Newton’s Third Law and Action-Reaction relationships) and the scientific method
The answer key is included

Easel Activity

The follow-up questions in a digital format
Perfect for your Google Classroom or homework

What makes Cool School Comics such an impactful learning tool?

They are FUN!

This is the most crucial benefit.
Students are more willing to participate and more engaged.
The content STICKS.

Visual learning is EFFECTIVE.

About 65% of the population consists of visual learners.
Visual information is processed faster.
Students who SEE information are more likely to retain it.

EASY to implement!

These lesson plans are complete and ready to go, requiring minimal prep time.
You only need to make copies, upload supplementals to your virtual classrooms, and set up the hands-on activities.
Lots of flexibility! You can print these as posters, add them to interactive notebooks, hand them out to students, or share them virtually. There is plenty of room for modifications.

Comics make content ACCESSIBLE

Naturally differentiated, comics accommodate a wide range of learning abilities and styles.
Great for classrooms with a diverse population of learners
They can simultaneously rope in both your gifted and struggling students (and everyone in between).
Reluctant readers gravitate toward comics.
Comics help English Language Learners (ESL, ELL) and some SPED students find success.