Designing a parachute - Fifth and Sixth Class

During a section of work on World War 2, we looked at the role of parachutes. We learned about a doctor who arranged for sweets to be dropped from planes to starving children on the ground.

We were given a number of different materials and told to come up with a design for a parachute. The materials included a plastic bag, string, j cloths, sellotape and tins.

We came up with different variations on a design, using the plastic bag as the parachute. The aim was that the parachute would have to be able to hold a small, light object and drop to the ground. We had great fun trying out different designs and testing them to see whether they worked.

As a result of our work, we discovered a number of learning points. Firstly, the width of the plastic bag had an effect on how quickly the parachute fell to the ground. Secondly. the weight of the basket which was used to hold the object, also affected how slowly or quickly the parachute fell. Finally, the design of the basket was also important, and it needed to be able to safely hold the object until it reached the ground.