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Washougal students create, test balloon-powered hovercrafts

CRGE students apply science and engineering concepts to build crafts out of CDs, balloons and bottle caps

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A Columbia River Gorge Elementary School student watches a balloon hovercraft glide along the classroom floor in the spring of 2024. (Contributed photo courtesy of the Washougal School District)

Columbia River Gorge Elementary School fourth-grade students applied science and engineering concepts to build, test, and measure the results of balloon-powered hovercraft races earlier this year.

Students in Khrista McBride’s and Samantha Howards’ classrooms created the hovercrafts from CDs, balloons and bottle caps.  The balloons were connected to the cap, which was glued onto the CD, creating a small gap for air to flow out, resulting in a small amount of lift to let the hovercrafts glide on hard surfaces. 

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