A Tissue Paper Hot Air Balloon

Just about everybody feels the urge to “take off” once the
weather warms up … and, even if springtime chores are
keeping you tied to the homestead or back yard, you can
still make an escape (although only for a
little vicarious adventure). Using just a few household
materials, you can put together a simple tissue paper hot air balloon, launch it on free “fuel,” and watch your
spirits take flight!

To construct your own miniature dirigible, you’ll need
seven sheets of 20″ X 30″ tissue paper, a six-foot length
of 14-gauge wire (or a couple of scavenged wire coat hangers),
some white glue, a pair of scissors, and a roll of Scotch
tape.

A Lot of Hot Air

Once you’ve put the simple flyer together, you’ll need to
create a source of heat to send it aloft. That,
too, is a quick-and-easy process. Collect six
large juice cans (the 46-ounce size works fine)
and cut out both ends from five of them. The sixth can will
serve as the base of the “smokestack,” so you should remove
only its top. You should also cut a wedge-shaped opening In
one side of that “bottom” can. (You can
start the hole with a triangle can opener, use a pair
of tinsnips to enlarge it, and bend the sharp edges
inward with pliers.)

Next, make three small holes (evenly spaced) around the top
and bottom of each can, and thread short lengths of wire
through those openings to fasten the cylinders together in
a vertical stack. Finally — to prevent cinders from
flying up into the balloon — wire a section of screen
on top of the burner.

Up! Up! and Away!