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Engineering activity

Parachute Lab

Race a flat coffee filter against a crumpled paper ball dropped from the same height. The flat filter catches lots of air and floats down slowly — like a mini parachute!

Hands OnAbout 25 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

Race a flat coffee filter against a crumpled paper ball dropped from the same height. The flat filter catches lots of air and floats down slowly — like a mini parachute!

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Get a flat coffee filter and a sheet of paper. Crumple the paper into a tight ball.
  2. Hold both at exactly the same height (as high as you can reach).
  3. Drop them at the same time. Which one lands first?
  4. Try it again to make sure. Why do you think the crumpled paper falls faster? (Hint: the open coffee filter pushes against more air.)
  5. Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.

Learning objectives

  • Observe that a flat, air-catching shape slows down falling objects
  • Compare the falling speed of two dropped objects
  • Make a prediction and test it by dropping

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

Build parachutes in three sizes and test which one makes a toy soldier fall the slowest. Time each drop with a stopwatch.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Pick a small toy. First, drop it from a chair (parent holds child steady) WITHOUT a parachute. Time the fall with a stopwatch.
  2. Now tape a tissue or napkin to the toy as a parachute (4 strings to 4 corners).
  3. Drop the same toy from the same height WITH the parachute. Time the fall.
  4. Repeat each drop 3 times.
  5. Make a tally chart: which version was slower more often — with or without the parachute?
  6. Talk about WHY: the parachute catches air, and the air pushes back, slowing the toy down.
  7. Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.

Learning objectives

  • Discover that larger parachutes create more air resistance
  • Use a stopwatch to measure and compare descent times
  • Make predictions based on observed patterns

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

Engineer the ideal parachute by testing canopy shape, size, and material. Control variables and record descent rates to find the optimal design.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. QUESTION: How does cargo weight affect fall speed when the parachute size is held constant?
  2. Build ONE parachute (e.g., a 12-inch plastic-bag square with 4 strings). Use the same chute for every trial.
  3. Trial set A: attach 1 paperclip. Drop from a fixed height (e.g., 8 feet). Time the fall. Repeat 3 times.
  4. Trial set B: attach 3 paperclips. Drop from the SAME height. Time it. Repeat 3 times.
  5. Trial set C: attach 5 paperclips. Drop from the SAME height. Time it. Repeat 3 times.
  6. Make a data table: weight, trial 1, trial 2, trial 3, average time.
  7. Graph it: weight on the x-axis, average fall time on the y-axis.
  8. Write the rule you discovered in one sentence (e.g., 'Heavier loads fall faster under the same parachute').
  9. In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.

Learning objectives

  • Design and execute controlled experiments with single-variable changes
  • Calculate and compare average descent rates across test conditions
  • Synthesize findings from multiple experiments to optimize a design

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Design parachutes and analyze the physics of air resistance. Calculate descent velocity, drag force, and terminal velocity. Compare to real parachute engineering.

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. INVESTIGATION: terminal velocity. Hold payload constant and vary canopy SURFACE AREA.
  2. Build 3 parachutes with the SAME payload (e.g., a small washer) but different canopy areas: small (~150 sq in), medium (~300 sq in), large (~600 sq in).
  3. Drop each from a fixed height (e.g., 10 feet — balcony or stairwell, parent supervises). Time each fall. Run 3 trials per chute.
  4. Calculate average fall speed in feet per second: speed = height / average time.
  5. Plot canopy area (x-axis) vs fall speed (y-axis).
  6. State the rule plainly: bigger chute = more drag = slower fall. Drag is the air pushing back on the parachute as it falls.
  7. STRETCH: look up the terminal velocity equation (v = sqrt(2mg / (rho * A * Cd))). Identify each variable: m = payload mass, g = gravity, rho = air density, A = canopy area, Cd = drag coefficient. Which variable did you change in this experiment?
  8. In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.

Learning objectives

  • Calculate descent velocity and analyze factors affecting terminal velocity
  • Graph and interpret the relationship between payload weight and descent speed
  • Apply physics concepts of drag force and air resistance to engineering design

Safety and evidence note

Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.

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