Our goal this week was to create a balloon that could be featured in the Macy’s Day Parade. We began by reading Balloons Over Broadway, a story about how the giant balloons we see on television each Thanksgiving came to be. This project required students to go through a modified version of the engineering design process.

Brainstorming

Students were tasked with creating a draft of their balloon vision. Not only did they need to sketch their outline, they also had to tell what color they needed for each part of their balloon.

Prototype: Creating the Balloon

Next, it was time to transfer the drawing into a 3D creation. Students began working on creating two layers of their drawing to staple and stuff with scrap paper.
The challenge here was to create a large enough balloon to be able to stuff. Smaller features could be added on later after the initial outline was created and cut out.

Test & Evaluate: How will we get them to “float”?

Our next challenge was find a way to make our balloons appear to float. The students were given rulers, wooden dowels, popsicles and masking tape to support and prop up their structure.

Communicate: The Parade!

Although the wind started to pick-up, the students’ balloons stood proudly as we marched around the school and parking lot. Our very own PNA Thanksgiving Day Parade!