Wind Tube

The wind tubes are the most fascinating items in the classroom for the children. They have had endless opportunities to explore with them, yet find themselves driven to them every time they enter the classroom. Taking their eagerness into consideration this activity was right up their alley.

On the first day two pieces of tape were placed within a designated area of the clear plastic which forms the tube. The challenge was for their creations to stay floating within the space that was marked. The children had miscellaneous craft items available, hot glue gun and cups. They began by randomly adding craft items to their cups with tape or hot glue. As each child finished decorating their cup they would approach a wind tube to observe their creation in the tube.  If the decorated cup would not float or fly too quickly through the tube they would return to the table and remove or add crafts. Through encouragement, praise and recognition of their effort, the children continued redesigning their cups until it floated within the determined goal.

The second day was a continuation to the previous activity with a twist. Before designing their floating structure the students decided where to place the tapes on the clear plastic tube. There were three wind tubes and each had to have the masking tape within the same distance from the base of the wind tube. The students were scaffold to find the correct tool within the classroom that would assist them in determining the measurements. Some suggestions were to use a yard stick, ruler or measuring tape. Each student was given the opportunity to measure or assist in placing the masking tape. Once all three wind tubes were marked, the children were ready to create, observe, explore and redesign if needed.