Third graders in Jeannie Mullins’ class at Great Neck Road Elementary School learned just how much force it takes to make a watermelon explode during a hands-on science experiment. The students began the lesson on forces using rubber bands around their hands to feel the push and pull of force. Using a watermelon, the students placed rubber bands around the center and made a prediction about how many rubber bands it would take to make the watermelon explode. Working in pairs with groups of 10 rubber bands, the students – wearing their goggles – learned the answer to their experiment: 200 rubber bands equals one exploding watermelon.