Archimedes, Bernoulli, Pascal, and TLS 1st Graders — what do these people have in common? Every one of them was fascinated by flight and the properties of fluids. The air that we breathe is a fluid and early experiments conducted by Bernoulli, Archimedes, and Pascal on the properties of fluids (called fluid mechanics) helped pave the way to the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight in 1901. Mrs. Green’s 1st grade class took advantage of the beautiful weather and took their lesson to the front lawn for a hands-on experiment with flight and fluid mechanics. Parachutes!
Students were encouraged to observe how air slows during the descent of a parachute and how there is a difference in the descent inside versus outside. In order for the parachute to move through the air, it must push the air out of its way. The air pushing back on the parachute makes it fall slowly. When any object moves through the air, it is always slowed down by something called air resistance.
Hands-on learning activities like the 1st graders’ parachute experiment give Trinity’s students another way to learn about how their world works. Learning is never limited to the classroom — our entire world is a classroom and experiential learning opportunities like this is just one of many ways Trinity Lutheran School educators make learning fun and exciting for our students.