Water Balloon Parachute

Most of our after school time is spent on unstructured outdoor play. Once the girls quickly finish their homework they head outside to see who in the neighborhood can play. And there’s a good reason for that! Although I can provide them with meaningful learning and play activities, they are even more likely to come up with their own amazing ideas when given the time to explore and create independently. This water balloon parachute was the result of one of those outdoor play sessions.

Our neighbor gets the credit for coming up with this idea. She and my oldest daughter tested it out and perfected it then asked if I could put it up on the blog to share with you…I think they are creative little bloggers in the making!

To make your own water balloon parachute you’ll need a filled water balloon (not too full) and a plastic shopping bag with handles.

Loop the tied end of the water balloon around both of the shopping bag handles and tie it again just like you did to close the balloon when you filled it with water.

And that’s it! You’ve made your own water balloon parachute.

Now it’s time to play! Throw it up, watch the balloon expand, and then try to catch it as it lands. See our parachute in action here:

Don’t worry if you miss it. The parachute helps soften the balloon’s landing. And if you didn’t fill the balloon too full, it will often drop many times before breaking.

After testing their parachutes out the girls decided the water balloon is less likely to break on our driveway than our grass, so you may want to experiment with different landing zones too.

And keep a bin of extra water balloons ready so you can quickly replace them as needed.