In this activity, each student will make their own Hopper Popper, but we suggest they work in pairs when they launch their poppers. Homeschool students can work on their own, but may need a partner to help when it comes time to launch their Hopper Popper. Some teachers choose to have students wear safety glasses for this activity since Hopper poppers can hop high!

Prepare the Chipboard

If you want your students to practice measuring, you can have them cut 3” x 6” rectangles from chipboard before you begin this lesson. If you don’t have time for students to measure and cut rectangles, we recommend you cut the chipboard into 3” x 6” rectangles before class. It doesn’t take long if you use a paper cutter.

Supplies for Open-Ended Exploration (Optional)

At the end of the activity, we suggest that students change one variable to see how this affects their Hopper Popper. For this open-ended exploration, you can supply students with extra chipboard, extra rubber bands of different sizes, or extra rubber bands of different thicknesses. The Teacher Tips printout will help you guide students during this open-ended exploration.