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Science

Air is Real

Overview

Children investigate air using simple experiments that prove it is real, takes up space, and has force.

Learning Objective
Children provide evidence that air exists and takes up space, even though it cannot be seen.

Resources needed

  • A plastic bag or container
  • Water in a bowl
  • A sheet of paper

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Ask: is there air around us right now? How do you know?
  2. 2 Open and close a plastic bag quickly — it fills with air. Squeeze it — what do you feel?
  3. 3 Push an upturned cup straight down into a bowl of water — the paper inside stays dry. Ask: why?
  4. 4 Lift the cup at an angle — bubbles escape. Ask: what are the bubbles?
  5. 5 Fan yourself with paper — you can feel the air moving.
  6. 6 Introduce: air is a mixture of gases — it is real, even though we cannot see it.
  7. 7 Ask: where do we need air? (breathing, fire, weather, flight).

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Blow up a balloon — show that air has mass by comparing an inflated and deflated balloon on a simple balance.
  • Use a straw to blow air through water — observe the bubbles.
  • Discuss wind as moving air — make a simple pinwheel from paper.
More information

Teach: air, gas, invisible, evidence, pressure, breathe, space. The key idea: invisible does not mean non-existent. Evidence is what scientists use to prove invisible things are real.

Focus on just one demonstration — the bag of air — and establish the concept firmly before moving to others.

Can children give two pieces of evidence that air is real? Can they explain why air can hold up an upturned cup in water?

Any container works instead of a plastic bag. A cup and water are free. A sheet of paper and a breeze demonstrate air movement.

Children often say there is 'nothing' in an empty container. Each demonstration in this lesson directly challenges that assumption.

Proving that invisible things are real using evidence is one of science's most important methodological lessons. Air is the ideal starting example.

Activity details
Primary Easy 15–20 minutes 5 minutes prep Whole Class, Small Group Outdoor
Topics
Air Gases Evidence