Balloon Fun

Up, Up, and Away
Art Have students use materials they can find around the house to make a collage of hot-air balloons such as the ones Phileas Fogg rode in. Ask them "Does anyone know who Phileas Fogg is?"

Phileas Fogg
Have your students research Phileas Fogg the fictional main protagonist in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. Ask them to plot out his journey on a map. Then have them calculate wherether or not his trip would still take 80 days.

Around the World in 80 Days
Students can follow in Mr. Foggs footsteps using the this site, which divides his travel into chapters.

How Hot Air Balloons Work
This site describes the scientific principles behind hot air balloons.

A Short History of Ballooning
Using this site students can learn about Jean-Francois Pilâtre de Rozier who developed the first hot air balloon.