This experiment will explain how and why hot air rises 

Scientific concepts are best understood when witnessed in real life. Thus, the best way to teach kids science in a way that is engaging and clear is more often through experimentation rather than theory. With chemistry especially, a practical understanding is way more effective than a theoretical one. Here is quick, fun DIY experiment to teach your kid about how heat energy works. This is more of a fun, yet educational trick masked as an experiment which is a sure hit among budding scientists. Please ensure that your kid is under adult supervision with this one, as it uses heat and fire. Read on to learn how this super easy DIY can be conducted at home. 

What you will need for this experiment 

• Tea bags 
• A matchbox 
• A bowl or any other container 
• A stone countertop or any other surface made of a non-conductor of heat  

Step-by-step guide to conduct the flying tea bag experiment 
This is a pretty simple experiment. Help your kids follow these easy-peasy steps. 

• Make sure that you have a stone countertop or any other stone surface as base on which you can do this experiment. In fact, any surface which is a non-conductor of heat will be fine, so long as there is enough space above it for the tea bags to float and extinguish. 
• Carefully unfold the tea bags and open them. Make sure that they do not tear while doing so. 
• Empty out the tea leaves into a container. These can be stored for use later for any other purposes. (Tip- the tea leaves work well as a garden compost!) 
• Using your index and middle fingers, hollow out the centre of each tea bag.  
• Then, make them stand on the end of the surface.  
• Take a lit match stick and light the tips of the tops of these standing tea bags in a quick motion. (Make sure kids are always under supervision for this step.) 

• You will notice that these tea bags will burn to the bottom after which they will quickly start floating up into the air. 

What exactly is happening in this experiment? 
The flying tea bag experiment demonstrates how heat energy works, and how it affects air molecules. When heat interacts with air, it lessens the density of the air molecules. Here, when the tip of the teabag is lit with the matchstick, the flame heats up the air which is present in the centre of its hollow. The molecules of air become less dense as the air get hotter, and hence, start moving around. This less denser starts moving upwards, and also rises higher than the cooler air which is naturally denser. The tea bag is a very light object, and hence, the air lifts it with itself and it looks like it’s flying.