If people ask you for answers you should encourage them to try to think of ways they could find the answer themselves rather than immediately offering them an explanation. The Family Science Resource Group usually brings one or two activities to each Science Celebration. Then, a balloon is inflated and attached to the straw. When the air is let out of the balloon, the straw and balloon shoot towards the opposite end of the string. The number of plates used, the orientation of the plates relative to each other, and the placement of the plates on the pen can be varied.
Students also like to decorate their tops.
Structures Families build structures out of straws and paper clips. Symmetry Families can test drawings of objects for symmetry using mirrors and try making drawings of symmetrical objects. Set-up or help to set up the activity. The lead will explain the activity and set-up to you. Each activity also has several sets of pictorial instructions to help you explain the activity to families.