The school gym was the scene of an exciting event for the Grades 4-6 students on February 12.  Under the leadership of a group of Grade 6 students, all the participating students  worked in small groups to create hot air balloons that would actually fly. 

The groups of students needed to follow a problem solving process.  They had a shopping bag of materials, some directions and a goal.  Could they make a hot air balloon?

At first, the groups needed some time to read, research and make their plans.  Their student leaders and the teachers could talk about the problem, but not solve it for them.  The bag held tissue paper, glue, scissors, markers, cardboard, a meter stick, fine wire, and some cotton batting.  There was newspaper and fishing line available in the room.

It was not easy to get started.  The groups tried a number of methods before finding one that worked.  Then, as first one group and then another began to figure it out, the basic structure of the balloons started to appear.