So, I decided to try making one of those parachute balloon things the other day. Not really a balloon, more like a little parachute for a toy, you know? Seemed like a simple enough project to fiddle with.
Getting Started
First thing, I had to rummage around for the right stuff. Didn’t want to buy anything special. Found a big, thin plastic trash bag – one of the flimsy ones. Figured that’d be light enough. Then I grabbed some regular string, nothing fancy, just kitchen twine type stuff. And some sticky tape.
Making the Parachute Bit
Okay, so I took the plastic bag and spread it out flat on the floor. Tried my best to smooth out the wrinkles. Then I needed a round shape. I grabbed a big dinner plate, put it on the plastic, and drew around it with a marker. Cut it out with scissors. It wasn’t a perfect circle, more like a wobbly egg, but good enough, I thought.
Adding the Strings
This part took a bit of fiddling. I needed to attach strings around the edge of my plastic circle. Carefully, I poked small holes around the edge. Maybe about 8 holes, spaced out kinda evenly. Then I cut pieces of string, all roughly the same length – maybe knee-high? Tied one end of each string through a hole. For good measure, I put a little piece of tape over each knot and hole, hoping it would stop the plastic tearing.
Bringing It Together
Next up, I gathered all the loose ends of the strings together. Tried to pull them gently so they were all hanging down about the same amount. Then, I tied them all together in one big knot at the bottom.
Finding a Passenger
The parachute needed something to carry, a weight. I looked around and found a little plastic toy soldier thing. Perfect size. Tied the soldier figure securely to that big knot where all the strings met.
Testing Time!
- Indoor Test: First, I stood on a chair inside the house and just dropped it. It sort of floated down, wobbled a bit. Okay, not bad for a first try.
- Outdoor Test: Then I took it outside. There was a tiny bit of breeze. I threw it up gently. Hey, it actually caught the air much better! It drifted down quite slowly, spinning a little. Looked like a real tiny parachute.
So yeah, that was my little parachute making session. Didn’t take long. Used junk I already had. It actually worked, which was cool. Simple fun, kept me occupied for an hour or so.