Pupils at a Bolton primary school received some schooling from an unlikely source this month, as a local hardware company used its promotional balloon to take children up into the air over the school in Smithills as part of their lessons.
The pupils, who are in Year 1, were studying rockets, hot air balloons, and airplanes as part of the ‘up, up and away’ theme of their curriculum for this term. This opportunity to see a real hot air balloon up close, and then to take to the skies in it, helped them to great a real appreciation of what it is like to explore the world from a bird’s eye vantage point.
Pupils were able to climb into the basket, ascend a few meters while tethered to the ground for safety, and experience the thrill of being next to the roaring burner and seeing the world from a new perspective under the guidance and expertise of two hot air ballooning enthusiasts. Children were able to learn about how a hot air balloon works, and the basic physics involved in ascending and descending in the balloon.
This innovative lesson gave the children and experience that they will never forget. If you want to give your child an aeronautical experience they will also treasure forever, we organise flights and hot air ballooning adventures over Bath, Bristol and other areas in the South West. Children have to be over seven to come on our flights, but once on board, they too will be able to benefit from an encounter with this unusual educational device.
