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NESA Accredited Teacher
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High school chemistry & physics specialist 30+ years
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The Crazy Scientist in primary schools — 15 years
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International conference presenter on science education
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Creator of the LAB™ Learning System
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Curriculum aligned: NSW Science & Technology K–6 (2024)
A picture is worth a thousand words — check this out and see if you can spot the science hiding in plain sight.
From the LAB
What you will need
• 1 x Chatterbox Tube or Nappy bin liner
(see description below)
• Just yourself and some lung power!
How to do it
1
Hold the Opening
Hold the open end of the Chatterbox Tube loosely in your fingers. Don't squeeze it shut — let it stay open. Let the rest of the tube hang down in front of you.
3
: One Breath — Go!
Take one deep breath. Hold the opening a few centimetres from your mouth — NOT touching your lips. Blow one steady stream of air ACROSS the opening (not directly into it). Watch the tube!
2
Make Your Prediction
Take a look at the full length of the tube. How many breaths do you think it will take to blow it up completely? Write your prediction down or call it out. Most people say 10, 20, even 50.
4
Watch the Magic
The tube shoots out to its full length — with just one breath. Ask the group: where did all that extra air come from? You only had one lungful!
Did it work? Share the science! Tag @the_crazy_scientist on Instagram — we love seeing your experiments!
The Chatterbox Tube
Designed by Darin Carr (BSc, DipEd)
NESA Accredited Teacher Chemistry & Physics Specialist
Creator of the LAB™ Learning System
One breath. One tube. One HUGE surprise. Watch what happens when you blow across the Chatterbox Tube — and try to explain where all that extra air came from.
5-12 yrs
Easy
10
min
Stage 1-3
>
The Chatterbox Tube
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
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LINK to what they already know,
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ACTIVATE curiosity through hands-on discovery
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BUILD understanding that actually sticks.
You've blown up balloons. You've blown out candles. You know exactly what your breath does — it pushes things.
So here's the challenge: if you had to blow up a tube the length of your arm using only ONE breath, how many breaths would it actually take?
Make your prediction. Write it down. Then try the impossible.
• Try blowing ACROSS the opening — then try blowing directly INTO it
• Notice how far the tube extends, and how quickly
👉 Which method filled the tube? Did the result match your prediction?
👉 You only used one breath — so where did all the extra air come from?
👉 What do you think is different about air that's moving fast compared to air that's still?
Fast-moving air creates lower pressure — that's Bernoulli's Principle.
👉 An aeroplane wing is curved on top so air moves faster over it. Which side has lower pressure? What does that do to the plane?
👉 When you turn on a shower, the curtain gets pulled TOWARD you — why? Which side has faster-moving air?
👉 Tall buildings create powerful gusts at street level — how does Bernoulli's Principle explain this?
"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 just do ONE experiment; they change one part of the experiment (independent variable) and then see how it affects another part of the experiment
(dependent variable)
Change ONE variable and test again.
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?
🧪 Try it! Change ONE thing and test again. What did you discover?
Want to go deeper? Tap a section below to explore. ▼
The Science Behind It
You didn't inflate that tube. The room did.
When you blow across the opening rather than into it, your breath creates a fast-moving stream of air right at the mouth. And fast-moving air has a surprising property: it has lower pressure than the still air around it. Scientists call this Bernoulli's Principle.
That low-pressure zone acts like an invisible pump. The higher-pressure air from the rest of the room rushes in to fill it — flooding through the opening, joining your breath, and blasting down the length of the tube in one smooth surge. You supplied the trigger.
The atmosphere did the heavy lifting.
Blow directly into the tube and you're limited to what your own lungs can push — one small lungful at a time. That's why it takes so many more breaths and so much more effort to achieve the same result.
Did you notice the tube inflates in one continuous rush rather than filling gradually? That's the atmospheric pressure flooding in all at once the moment the low-pressure zone opens the door.
Bernoulli's Principle is at work all around you: it's how aeroplane wings generate lift, how a curveball curves away from the bat, and why your shower curtain swings toward you when the water runs.
You can see the same principle hold a ball suspended against gravity in [The Impossible Blow], and feel the full force of atmospheric pressure doing something equally surprising in [The Magic Water Cup].
How far from the opening can you hold your mouth and still trigger the atmospheric pump with a single breath?
Find out in The Crazy Scientist Lab.
Extension: G&T Years 5 & 6
Vocabulary
Know a parent or teacher who'd love this? Send it on! 👇
The Crazy Scientist books
These highly visual books combine storytelling and real science, helping students revisit key concepts and stay engaged long after the session.
Designed by a practising NSW classroom teacher (30+ years experience), these books directly support NSW Science & Technology (2024) outcomes and reinforce “Working Scientifically” skills.
Perfect for classroom libraries or home explorations.
For teachers (YouTube)
— Science Before the Bell
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Quick, curriculum-linked science you can teach tomorro
Try Another Crazy Experiment
Keep the science going with these fun experiments
Let's Go!
Keep exploring with The Crazy Scientist
Hands-On Science Workshops
Interactive STEM experiences aligned to the NSW syllabus.
