What You Need:

• Several thin bamboo barbecue skewers
• Small dish of vegetable oil
• Large latex round balloon at least 12 inchs

What You Do:

1. Blow up your latex balloon to a point just short of being full--so that it’s still a little squishy—and so there is a dark area at each end. Knot it off.
2. Now take a bamboo barbecue skewer and dip the sharp point into the vegetable oil so that the top 1” or so is well soaked.
3. Using a twisting motion as you go, poke the barbecue skewer into the dark, thicker part of the balloon near where you tied the balloon off.  Now be brave…push the skewer all the way through to other dark, thicker side.

Expect a pop? Anyone who is watching will! But the balloon will hold its air, because the polymers in the latex haven’t been stretched to their fullest point. They can still stretch and surround the barbecue skewer. In fact, you can keep going. See how many skewers you can drive through the balloon. As long as you leave them inside, the balloon will hold most of its air. After a while, of course, air will leak out. But not before you’ve done some very fun “science magic!”                                           
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                                            MisMatch & YooHoo The Magical Clowns
                        Bringing the Excitement of balloon science and fun to kids all over Long Island,New York