Halloween STEM Projects with Air Propulsion
Low-prep Halloween STEM fun! Build spooky hovercrafts, zipping witches, and balloon ghosts while teaching motion, force, and propulsion.
Halloween is right around the corner when ghosts, goblins and zombies are running amok! We are ready though, in this project we’re going to combine some spooky elements with some fascinating physics to create Halloween hovercrafts, balloon powered ghosts and flying witches ziplines! It’s a great day of low prep Halloween STEM fun while covering some key science concepts. It’s definitely the best of both words for teachers and students alike!
Halloween Hovercrafts, Flying Ghosts and Zipping Witches
Table of Contents
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What is Propulsion? The Science Behind These Halloween Projects
Balloons are a great tool to demonstrate propulsion to students. Why? Because kids love playing with balloons!
These projects are very visual and let the kids really see propulsion at work.
So, what is propulsion? Propulsion is the force that pushes an object forward, or upward.
Sir Issac Newton taught us about three laws of motion.
- The Law of Inertia (An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by another force)
- The Law of Acceleration (The more force you put on an object the faster it will move)
- The Law of Motion (For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction)
In our projects today we are focusing on the third law, Newton’s Law of Motion. The action is going to be air rushing out of our balloons, and the reaction will be the moving hovercraft, the flying ghost and the racing witch.
In our project, propulsion works by using pressurized air from a balloon. When the balloon’s air is released, it pushes out in one direction, causing your object to move in the opposite direction.
I have three fun Halloween themed projects that will illustrate air propulsion that you can try with your students or kids at home.
Halloween STEM Project 1: Ghostly Hovercrafts
Balloon Hovercrafts are a simple classroom project that easily illustrates the ideas of force and motion.
What is a hovercraft? It is a vehicle that glides over a surface on a cushion of air. You may have seen one in the water – it looks like a boat with a giant fan on the back of it.
For our purposes, we are going to make our hovercrafts with balloons that will release air downward so our vehicle pushes up slightly off the ground and moves around.
How does a hovercraft work? When we release the air from the balloon it will push the air downward creating a layer of air between the hovercraft and the ground which reduces friction between the vehicle and the ground.
These are really, really cool to watch move around!
What Do I Need to Build My Hovercraft?
- Balloons
- Clothespin, a clip or something else to hold the balloon closed while you decorate it.
- Old Compact Discs
- A pop top from a water bottle
- Hot Glue or Glue Dots
- Any decoration you want to create your zombie
How do I do it?
First, take your pop top and glue it over the hole in the compact disc so the base of the pop top is sealed over that hole.
Next, blow up your balloon and clip it so you can create your zombie.
Then, stretch the end of the balloon over the pop top opening. Keep the clip in place while you do this.
After it is in place carefully open the pop top.
Finally, unclip the balloon and watch!
As the air is pushed out of the balloon, through the pop top cap it will lift the disc ever so slightly off the table and it will move around. So if the whole class is working at the same time you will end up with a run of ghosts around the room!
Want to try another Hovercraft design? Check out this DIY Hovercraft STEM Project.
Halloween STEM Project 2: Flying Balloon Ghosts
Balloon ghosts may be the simplest illustration of air propulsion, but will for sure elicit the most squealing.
What will you need?
- White balloons of any size – if you can find them glow in the dark balloons would be fun too!
- Black Markers
- Clothespins
What do you do?
Blow up the balloons and twist off the ends and hold closed with a clip of some sort.
Then decorate the balloons with simple ghost eyes and mouths as well as the students name on the back of the balloon for when they want to try a second time!
Now, have the kids line up and count down to the ghosts taking flight.
Let the ghosts go and watch them fly!
This is fun to try with various sizes of balloons so you can see how different sizes might fly differently.
What’s happening, what’s the science? As the balloon is opening the air rapidly escapes and in turn the balloon is propelled forward!
For more Flying Ghosts activities, check out Magnetic Flying Ghosts or Flying Tea Bag Ghosts.
Halloween STEM Project 3: Witches on a Balloon Zipline
A zipline is another fun way to watch air propulsion at work. Students will watch their witches zip along a string powered by balloons – and their brooms – of course!
Learn even more with our Halloween Ghost Balloon Races!
What you will need:
- Construction Paper or Posterboard
- Scissors
- String or Yarn
- Straws
- Tape
- Glue Sticks
How do I do it?
Step 1: Using simple shapes create a witch and a broom that you can adhere to the side of a balloon. These witches can be as simple or as elaborate as your kids want. Alternatively you could print witches on heavy paper and cut them out for this project.
Step 2: Tape a long piece of string to the backs of two chairs or between two tables. This creates your zipline.
Step 3: Thread a section of drinking straw onto the string. Ensure it is able to move freely on the string. Then tape the straw to the back of the witch.
Step 4: Have the students work in pairs. Have one blow up the balloon and hold it closed while the other partner tapes the witch to the balloon on onside. Then on the other side tape it to the straw on the string. Make sure the student holding the balloon, holds onto it tightly so no air escapes!
Step 5: When you’re ready, let the balloon go and watch it zip along the string to the other side of the room. Air propulsion at work, moving the balloon and the witch along the string!
STEM Learning Outcomes: Motion, Force, and Propulsion
Students will leave these lessons having played, learned and discovered. Specific learning outcomes include:
- Understanding propulsion and Newton’s Third Law
- Observing how air pressure creates motion
- Experimenting with variables (balloon size, hovercraft materials, string length)
- Building problem-solving and engineering design skills
Discussion Questions for Students
As part of an inquiry based teaching approach we want to encourage our students to think deeply, embrace curiosity, and assist in scaffolding students through the process of prediction → observation → reflection. We have listed some questions you can use to facilitate deeper discussions, but feel free to create your own based on where your students want to drive their own inquiry led learning!
Before the Experiments
- What do you think will happen when we let the air out of the balloon?
- How do you think the size of the balloon will change the way it moves?
- Can you predict which project (hovercraft, ghost, or witch zipline) will travel the farthest? Why?
During the Experiments
- What did you notice about the direction the balloon moved compared to the direction the air escaped?
- Did the hovercraft glide smoothly or wobble? Why might that be?
- How did different balloon sizes or shapes affect the motion?
After the Experiments
- How does this experiment show Newton’s Third Law of Motion?
- What role did air pressure and friction play in what you observed?
- If you were designing a real vehicle using air propulsion, what changes would you make to improve speed or distance?
- How do these spooky projects remind you of machines or vehicles you see in the real world (hovercrafts, rockets, ziplines, etc.)?
- What would happen if we changed one variable? For example, the type of surface for the hovercraft, the length of the zipline, or the amount of air in the balloon?
Extensions and Cross-Curricular Ideas
These low prep ideas offer a lot of possibilities for cross-curricular learning, plus extensions to make them perfectly suit your students.
Math Connections
Encourage students to measure how far or how fast their hovercrafts or ghosts travel. Compare results from different balloon sizes or surfaces, then graph the data. This brings in concepts of measurement, data collection, and basic statistics.
Art & Design
Have students create elaborate ghost faces, design unique witches, or theme their hovercrafts as Halloween monsters. This supports creativity and design thinking while connecting STEM to art.
Language Arts
Invite students to write spooky short stories or journal reflections about their flying creations. Prompts like “What did my ghost see as it zoomed around the classroom?” bring storytelling into the lesson.
History & Technology
Link hovercrafts and ziplines to real-world engineering. Explore how hovercrafts are used in transportation or how zipline pulleys inspired innovations in rescue systems. Students can research and present short reports on historical uses of air propulsion.
Science Extensions
Challenge older students to test variables: Does the length of the string affect how far the witch flies? Do larger balloons make hovercrafts travel farther? This introduces experimental design and controlled testing in a playful way.
Social Learning
Run the activities in pairs or small groups to build collaboration and problem-solving skills. One student can blow up and hold the balloon while the other decorates, measures, or records results.
FAQ: Halloween STEM Projects with Air Propulsion
These projects work best for upper elementary and middle school students (ages 7–13). Younger learners enjoy decorating and releasing the balloons, while older students can dive deeper into experimenting with variables, measuring distances, and linking the activity to Newton’s Laws of Motion.
Each activity demonstrates Newton’s Third Law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When the balloon’s air rushes out in one direction, the object (hovercraft, ghost balloon, or witch on a zipline) is propelled in the opposite direction. This creates a wildly fun, hands-on way for students to connect theory with real movement.
Yes! These experiments require simple, low-cost supplies and adapt easily to both large and small groups. In classrooms, you can run them as stations or small-group activities. At home, kids can experiment solo or with friends and siblings.
Students will learn about propulsion, air pressure, force, friction, and motion. They’ll also develop observation skills, test predictions, and practice design thinking while creating spooky-themed hovercrafts, balloons, and ziplines.
These are low-prep STEM projects. Most materials are inexpensive and easy to find around the classroom or home. Teachers and parents can set up the hovercrafts and ziplines ahead of time, or let kids build from scratch to practice problem-solving and creativity.
These are truly hands-on, visual and fun projects that get the kids excited about learning and help them remember physics concepts like air propulsion more easily. They are simple, low prep, low cost, high engagement Halloween STEM projects and they are sure to be a Halloween favorite for your learners. I bet you will have fun too!!!! Happy Halloween!