Water Balloon in a Bottle?

The idea was to create a stand-alone science experiment that could generate sparks of interest with all ages. Carol asked me one day if I thought it was possible to get an egg into milk bottle. The seed was planted... What sprouted was a contest to challenge kids to get a water balloon into a kethcup bottle.

I stole an empty ketchup bottle from my baguette friends and bought some balloons. We created a sequence of laminated cards with questions in English and Laos to lead students to the answer without giving it away.

Surprising how many kids would try the "it doesn't fit, I must need to push harder" method. But water balloons add a sense of danger... At least tens times a day the sounds of water splashing and giggling could be heard. Ultimately it was a great science success for the library.

Try it at home. Can you get an egg sized water balloon into a ketchup bottle? Not as easy as it sounds... What's the science behind it? The staff at the library was able to brainstorm four answers. How many solutions can you find?