Rainbow ElevAir Parachutes
Bring exciting group activities to your physical education program with this cost-effective gym class parachute designed for schools.
Durable Design at an Affordable Price
This parachute features durable polyester panels with reinforced handles for long-lasting use. A 1/2" thick rope around the perimeter adds strength and creates additional gripping space, helping students maintain control during activities. Built for daily use, it is a reliable option for schools looking for quality at a budget-friendly price.
Colorful Panels for Engaging Activities
Bright Rainbow panels add versatility to every lesson by allowing teachers to create color-based games and challenges, helping keep the entire class involved. Available in three sizes, each parachute includes a specific number of handles to match your group size and activity needs. The clear color sections also support organized gameplay and easy instruction, while the oversized storage bag has a strap to make transportation and cleanup simple.
This parachute meets ASTM F963 Flammability Standard requirements, supporting safe use in school environments.
Key Specs and Benefits
- Construction: Budget-friendly option without sacrificing on strength
- Material: Durable polyester panels are built to last
- Sizing: Choose from 24’, 30’, or 25’ dia to accommodate different group sizes
- Handles: Reinforced to provide multiple grip points
- 24’ dia, 30 handles
- 30’ dia, 24 handles
- 35’ dia, 28 handles
- Compliance: ASTM F963 Flammability Standard
- Storage: Oversized bag with a strap for easy transport
Add energy to your PE program with a dependable Gopher parachute option at a great value. Choose Rainbow ElevAir Parachutes today and get students moving with engaging group activities.
Interested in other ElevAir products? Shop Rainbow ElevAir Parachute Sets or Screamin' Rainbow ElevAir Parachute!
Gopher offers the most durable, widest range of rainbow parachutes on the market—but we know that sometimes so many choices can be overwhelming. We're here to help! Find our size guide below to help you decide.
Before you browse: Most Gopher parachutes follow the same sizing & handle options, but due to its unique, extra-durable design, UltraChute has additional handles and can accommodate even more students! Those numbers are called out separately in the table below.
| Parachute Size |
Number of Handles |
Recommended Number of Students |
|
6' Diameter |
6 | 2-6 |
|
12' Diameter |
12 18 / UltraChute |
6-13 9-19 / UltraChute |
|
20' Diameter |
16 | 8-21 |
|
24' Diameter |
20 30 / UltraChute |
10-25 15-29 / UltraChute |
|
30' Diameter |
24 36 / UltraChute |
12-31 18-35 / UltraChute |
|
35' Diameter |
28 | 14-37 |
|
45' Diameter |
32 48 / UltraChute |
16-47 24-60 / UltraChute |
Remember! You know your students best. Consider age (preschool or elementary students might have a more difficult time creating waves, so we recommend leaning toward the smaller side of each range) and skillset (middle or high school students have more upper body strength, so it's less likely a parachute being too big would be an issue). As always, our Customer Care team is here to help answer any questions you may have!
There are endless activity options for your program! You can easily integrate parachute games into warm-ups, cooperative units, or movement exploration lessons. The following activities develop coordination, helping to teach locomotor, non-locomotor, manipulative, and body control skills in both small and large group settings. Let the games begin!
- Popcorn Pandemonium: Place small, lightweight balls on top of the parachute. Students work together to shake the parachute and pop the balls into the air, erupting like a volcano to teach arm strength, timing, and coordination. Have students use waves to push objects to the other side or attempt to catch them as skills progress.
- Wave Maker: Students create waves of different sizes or follow rhythm-based cues together, helping develop timing, cooperation, and upper-body coordination. Assign weather types (ex: Thunder = Hard Shaking, Rain = Slow Up & Down, Sun = Standing Still) to keep students engaged.
- Exploration Stations: Call out colors, numbers, categories or more and have students run or crawl under the parachute to switch spots before it falls. This will teach students listening skills, quick decision-making, and agility—and is easy to adjust for varying skill levels!
- Umbrellas, Mountains, and Igloos, Oh My! Students lift the parachute high to make a mushroom shape, then bring it down to trap air to create different variations; create a mountain by sitting with knees around the edge of the parachute, an umbrella by stepping underneath the dome, and then an igloo by sitting around the inside edge. This will help develop timing, cooperation, and spatial awareness skills!
- Cat & Mouse Chase: Students move around or underneath the parachute playing tag games. A "mouse" moves underneath while a "cat" tries to find them with guidance from the group, teaching locomotor skills, reaction time, and strategic movement. Need more direction? This blog has a demonstration!
- Skill-Building Bulls-Eye: Incorporating this versatile parachute will allow students to turn cooperative movement into precision-based games. Develop control and endurance or catching/tossing skills using specific color zones to create cross-curricular lessons!
Looking for ideas for older students? Team Critter Quest is a great lesson plan from PE Teacher Tim Mueller, who details how to play here, or join us on PE Universe to connect with other PE teachers to find new ideas!