Air of the Wolf
This adventure is all about air! How it affects different objects, how we use, and how we can manipulate it to make sound, throw a better fast ball, or even make power! Below we guide you through three investigations and experiments. Check out these resources below and share your adventures by hashtagging your public photos with #2020CUBS.
Learn About the Adventure
Current requirements can be seen HERE as well as found in your rank manual - along with great ideas for completion. We guide you through the completion of the requirements in bold below.
Complete the following Requirements.
Conduct two of the following investigations to see how air affects different objects:
(a) Make a paper airplane and fly it five times. Try to make it fly farther by altering its shape. Fly it at least five more times to see if your changes were effective.
(b) Make a balloon-powered sled or a balloon powered boat. Test your sled or boat with larger and smaller balloons.
(c) Bounce a basketball that doesn't have enough air in it. Then bounce it when it has the right amount of air in it. Do each one 10 times. Describe how the ball bounces differently when the amount of air changes.
(d) Roll a tire or ball that doesn't have enough air in it, and then roll it again with the right amount of air. Describe differences in how they move.
Complete two of the following:
(a) With other members of your den, go outside and record the sounds you hear. Identify which of these sounds is the result of moving air.
(b) Create a musical wind instrument, and play it as part of a den band.
(c) With an adult, conduct an investigation on how speed can affect sound.
(d) Make a kite using household materials. With your den or family, explain the rules for safely flying kites. Fly your kite.
(e) With your family, den, or pack, participate in a kite derby, space derby, or rain gutter regatta. Explain how air helps the vehicle move.
Office/ School Supplies
Misc. Supplies
Kitchen Supplies
Sponge (¾” or thicker)
Craft Supplies
(DO NOT buy the ones from Walmart, they are extremely low quality. Many were completely unusable - bent, broken, bowed, brittle)#1 | Investigate
Balloon Powered Sponge Boat
Materials:
☐ Scissors,
☐ Marker, Ruler (optional),
☐ Balloon,
☐ Bendy Straw,
☐ Rubber Band, Sponge (¾” thick),
☐ pencil (optional),
☐ smaller balloon
Directions:
Measure the short side of the sponge and mark the center.
On the same end of the sponge, measure down the long sides the same distance as it was to the center in #1. Mark it on each side. Connect the side mark to the center mark, on each side, to create 45-degree angles for the bow of the boat.
Cut along those lines to make the pointed bow. Discard the pieces.
4. From the bow point, find the center of your sponge by measuring halfway down the length of the boat. Mark just behind that.
5. Adults, use the scissors to make a vertical slit/ hole. This will be pretty easy in a dry sponge.
6. Before you position the balloon stretch it and inflate it to make it easier to blow up once assembled.
7. Put the end of the balloon through the hole. Tip: I used a dull pencil to make the hole a little bigger and “catch” the rolled “lip” of the balloon to squeeze it through the hole. The tighter you can keep the hole the more secure everything will stay together.
8. Trim the straw. SAVE THE LEFTOVER PIECES FOR THE KAZOO. I took off about 4 inches. You want to leave enough that you can wrap a rubber band around once it is assembled.
9. Insert the straw into the balloon. If it is a bit tight fold over the end of the straw on itself to make a bit of a point.
10. Use the rubber band to secure the balloon to the straw.
11. Inflate the balloon through the straw and angle the straw toward the back of the boat before you put it in water.
12. Set sail! Wring out the sponge and repeat! Switch out the balloon for the smaller and see what happens.
#2 | Create
Rubber Band Kazoo
Materials:
☐ 2 large wooden craft sticks, ☐ 1 wide rubber band, ☐ 2 small rubber bands,
☐ straw (piece leftover from the sponge boat), ☐ scissors
Directions:
Stretch the wide rubber band lengthwise around one of the craft sticks.
Trim two pieces of straw to the width of the craft stick.
Place straw pieces about one inch in from each end. One under the rubber band and one on top.
Place the second craft stick on top of the straws.
Use the small rubber bands to hold it in place - it does not have to be tight.
Make music by blowing between the craft sticks!
Kite
This is a great style kite to adapt and try different materials, shapes, and designs! Remember, the larger the paper you use, the better your kite will fly. The heavier the materials you use, the more wind will be needed to get the kite up in the air. Keep your kite lightweight!
Materials:
☐ 9”x12” sheet of paper, ☐ 9”x3” sheet of paper, ☐ staples, ☐ scissors, ☐ string,
☐ optional: hole punch & tape
Directions:
Fold the 9”x12” paper in half - hamburger style.
Bring opposite corners down about a third of the folded length and staple in place.
Attach the string. You can do this by wrapping a piece of tape around the fold (for reinforcement), just behind the wing staples and use a hole punch to make a hole for the string. Then tie on. Note: The string placement can be experimented with. If you do not have a hole punch you could also staple the string on.
Make the tale. The tale is optional and a great variable to experiment with. Take the 9”x 3” paper and fold in half - hamburger style. Make three even cuts from the fold to about 1 inch from the edge.
Open the paper and cut the strips all the way through as indicated by the arrows in the picture.
Fold the pieces back and forth as secure with tape as needed to make a long tale. It does not have to be exact.
Slide one end of the tale into the back fold of the kite and secure with a staple.
If you do not have wind the kite will “fly” under scout power (a.k.a. Tell them to run)!
