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I started giving paper
airplane presentations as a way to teach kids (and adults) about the basics
of flight, and I believe it has worked well. I think education should be
hands-on and fun, and paper airplanes accomplish both. What I didn't expect
were the other lessons learned from paper airplanes. The process of
following directions teaches an important skill in itself, and rewards
patience and persistence. Paper airplanes also provides a launching point
for other topics of science (fluids, flight in nature, physics, ...),
history of flight, flight physiology, ...
Naturally I recommend both
of my books:
The World Record
Paper Airplane Book
- Best for ages 10 & up, and includes:
- Basics of flight
- How to make and throw paper airplanes
- Flying activities indoors and outside, including the basics of soaring
flight
- How to organize and run a contest (a contest is a great way to reinforce
the lessons of how to make and fly paper airplanes).
Kids' Paper Airplane Book -
Best for ages 6-12, and Includes:
- Basics of flight
- How to make and throw paper airplanes
- A guide for how to recognize real airplanes at the airport or as they fly
over
- Flying activities and games indoors and outside
- Paper airplane contests (a contest is a great way to reinforce the
lessons of how to make and fly paper airplanes).
- How to make a paper airplane perform stunts (loops, circles)
*** A TEACHERS GUIDE IS AVAILABLE FOR THE KIDS' PAPER AIRPLANE
BOOK ***
A preview (table of contents/intro letter from ME) is HERE.
The entire teachers guide in PDF format is HERE (requires
the free Adobe
Acrobat Reader).
Experiments and Activities:
Here are a few computer files with information on specific
paper airplane experiments and information. The first three I
presented at the National Congress for Aerospace Education in Atlanta in
2004. I will try to add to this list of experiments as time permits.
Overview
of aerodynamics and the Guinness record (PowerPoint file)
Paper
Airplane Experiments (PowerPoint file)
Careers in
Aerospace Engineering (PowerPoint file)
Wing
span vs. flight distance (Microsoft Word file)
I also have some paper airplane experiment information in my
section with answers
to questions
Links to educational websites
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