Professor Picklebottom
The Chatterbox Tube
Mission: The Chatterbox Tube
Who’s the biggest chatterbox in your family?
Someone who just keeps talking… and talking… and talking!
Today, Professor Picklebottom has a challenge for you.
With just ONE breath, can you make this enormous tube fill with far more air than your lungs could possibly hold?
That sounds impossible.
So where does all that extra air come from?
Make your prediction — then investigate the mystery.
Ages
5-12 yrs
Duration
min
10
Difficulty
Easy
Stage
Stage 1-3
Cite this resource
Created by Darin Carr (BSc, DipEd)
NESA Accredited Teacher · Chemistry & Physics Specialist · 30+ years in-class teaching
Resource Version: 1.0
First Published:
Last Updated:
1 Apr 2019
21 Aug 2026
MISSION VERIFIED
Classroom tested. Teacher designed. Safe at home.
Designed by Darin Carr (BScDip Ed)
Practising NESA accredited
Australian Science Teacher
★ 30+ years of classroom experience
MISSION PROGRESS
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young scientists have completed this mission.
I'VE COMPLETED THIS MISSION
Click to let us know you have completed this mission
LATEST TEACHER FEEDBACK
"The kids loved it. I also liked how it helped structure their thinking and predicting".
Year 6 Science Specialist
Mr Tam
Before you investigate... watch the mystery
MISSION HOOK
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Mission Equipment
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
• 1 x Chatterbox Tube or Nappy bin liner
(see description below)
• Just yourself and some lung power!
Let’s Investigate
Follow the missions steps below to solve the mystery.
1
Prepare Your Chatterbox Tube
Hold the open end of the Chatterbox Tube loosely between your fingers Do not seal the opening with your hand.
Keep the opening round—don’t squash it closed.
Let the rest of the tube hang straight down in front of you.
Your Chatterbox Tube is ready for its first test!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
2
Make Your Prediction
Look carefully at the tube.
It is much longer than your lungs!
Your lungs can only hold a few litres of air. Do you think ONE breath could fill this entire tube?
Do you think ONE breath can really fill the entire tube?
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
3
First Test
Take one deep breath.
Hold the tube a few centimetres from your mouth.
Do NOT put your lips on the opening.
Blow one steady stream of air across the opening—not directly into it.
Watch carefully.
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
4
Try It Again
Scientists don’t usually test something only once.
Try the experiment again.
This time, watch even more carefully.
Did it happen exactly the same way?
Was the tube just as quick?
Did anything surprise you the second time?
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
5
Solve the Mystery
Look back at what YOU observed.
How much air did you breathe out?
How much air seemed to enter the tube?
Was your breath alone enough to explain what happened?
So where might the rest of the air have come from?
Talk with someone nearby and use your observations as evidence.
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
6
Change One Thing
Scientists change one variable at a time.
This time, change how far your mouth is from the tube.
Try:
Very close → 5 cm → 10 cm → 15 cm → 20 cm
Keep your breath as similar as you can each time.
Which distance fills the tube best?
Can you find the Chatterbox Tube's sweet spot?
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
1
Prepare Your Chatterbox Tube
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
1
Prepare Your Chatterbox Tube
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
The Crazy Scientist LAB Learning System™
Every experiment follows The Crazy Scientist Lab Learning System™ — a simple way to help kids think like real scientists.
We
-
LINK to what they already know,
-
ACTIVATE curiosity through hands-on discovery
-
BUILD understanding that actually sticks.
You’ve blown up balloons.
You’ve blown out birthday candles.
You’ve cooled hot food by blowing on it.
Every time you breathe out, your breath pushes air forward.
But here’s today’s mystery…
Could one breath somehow move much more air than you actually breathed out?
Make your prediction first… then put your idea to the test!
Think back to what happened during your investigation.
Which method worked better—blowing across the opening or directly into it?
Did the result match your prediction?
You only breathed out one lungful of air. So where did all the extra air come from?
What do you think is different about fast-moving air compared with still air?
Use your observations as evidence to explain your ideas.
Your investigation revealed something surprising about moving air.
When air moves quickly past other air, it can cause nearby air to move too.
That's why your one breath was able to move much more air than your lungs could hold.
Scientists and engineers use moving air in all sorts of surprising places:
Aaircraft
Rracing cars
ventilation systems
buildings
Where else might fast-moving air cause something unexpected to happen?
"Want the full teacher guide? The Crazy Scientist Lab includes classroom delivery tips, how to manage the WOW moment, differentiation for Stage 2 & 3, — ready to teach tomorrow."
Think Like a Scientist
Scientists don't stop after their first discovery.
They ask new questions, collect more evidence and test their ideas in different ways.
Where could you take this investigation next?
What happens if you blow from a greater or smaller distance from the opening? Is there a sweet spot where it works best?
What happens if you use a longer or shorter tube? Does the length change how much air gets pulled in with one breath?
Dr Puddledrip’s Science Tip
Read the Science
How Did ONE Breath Fill the Whole Tube?
It looks impossible.
Your lungs only pushed out one breath, yet the Chatterbox Tube filled with far more air than your lungs could possibly hold.
So where did all that extra air come from?
Most of it came from the room around you.
What Happened to the Air?
When you blew across the opening of the tube, your breath created a fast-moving stream of air.
That moving air also dragged some of the surrounding air along with it. Scientists call this entrainment.
Suddenly, your breath wasn't the only air entering the tube. Air from the room was being swept in too.
That's why one breath could move a surprisingly large amount of air.
What Does Air Pressure Have to Do With It?
Fast-moving air can also create differences in air pressure.
The moving air near the opening has a different pressure from the surrounding still air. This pressure difference helps surrounding air move towards the opening and into the tube.
Instead of your lungs doing all the work, you started a much bigger movement of air.
Scientists Say…
Moving fluids — including air — can create changes in pressure. This idea is connected to Bernoulli's principle.
But pressure isn't the whole story here.
The fast-moving stream from your breath also entrains surrounding air, pulling much more room air into the tube.
Your breath started the process. The surrounding air supplied most of the volume.
Why Doesn't Blowing Straight Into the Tube Work As Well?
Try putting your mouth close to the opening and blowing directly inside.
Now most of the air entering the tube has to come from your lungs.
Move your mouth back and blow across the opening, and surrounding air has room to be swept into the moving stream.
That small change can make a BIG difference.
Where Is This Used in the Real World?
Engineers deliberately use fast-moving streams of air to move much larger volumes of surrounding air.
You'll find similar ideas in ventilation systems, air movers and bladeless fans.
Scientists also study how moving air and pressure interact when designing aircraft, racing cars and buildings.
Curiosity Spark
How far away from the opening can you move and still fill the Chatterbox Tube?
Is there a perfect distance where it works best?
Change one thing at a time, collect your evidence and see if you can find the Chatterbox Tube's sweet spot.
Teachers & Homeschoolers: Print-ready HD versions of this Science Behind It poster and companion G&T Challenge Card are available inside The Crazy Scientist LAB.
Scientist's Challenge
Designed for HPGE, gifted learners and children who enjoy an extra challenge.
Teachers & Homeschoolers: Print-ready HD versions of this Science Behind It poster and companion G&T Challenge Card are available inside The Crazy Scientist LAB.
The Next Question...
You've solved today's mystery. Now discover where curiosity can take you next.
Teachers & Homeschoolers: Print-ready HD versions of this Science Behind It poster and companion G&T Challenge Card are available inside The Crazy Scientist LAB.
Vocabulary
Air Pressure — The force caused by air pushing against a surface.
Pressure — The amount of force acting over an area.
Airflow — The movement of air from one place to another.
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