How to Make a Parachute out of a Garbage Bag

Making a parachute out of a trash bag is a great way to illustrate how a parachute works. A doll or egg can be attached to the parachute to show how it will fall more slowly. A garbage-bag parachute is not fully operational and should not be used to break the fall of children or adults. If your child is in need of a hands-on science project, however, making a parachute out of a trash bag is an educational tool.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Garbage bag
• Scissors
• Electrical tape
• Twine
• Egg or doll

1. Hold the garbage back up in the air, as if you were about to place it into a garbage can.

2. With scissors, cut off the top half of the garbage bag and discard.

3. Twist the newly cut edges of the garbage bag into four points.

4. Tie a 6-inch piece of twine to each of the four twisted points.

5. Flip the parachute. Reinforce the inside of the parachute with electrical tape. Place an "X" of electrical tape inside the parachute. The point where the "X" crosses should be the center of the inside of the parachute.

6. Tie the remaining ends of twine to the object you would like to fly in the parachute.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment by attaching large objects, like a stuffed animal, and small objects, like a piece of candy, to the parachute.
• Do not climb trees to release the parachute from a higher distance.

Resources

• Parachute information
• Are bigger parachutes better?