Have the children choose and fold five different paper airplane designs. Paper airplane designs can be found online or in a paper crafts book that covers the topic. Children should use the scientific method during this project, beginning with a hypothesis -- which design do they think will fly the furthest? Children will launch each airplane from the same spot three separate times, using a measuring tape to document the distance each plane traveled during each of its three launches. Chart the results to see which paper airplane design flew the farthest.
Children will find paper airplane designs that resemble the wing patterns of different animals and insects: a bird, a flying squirrel, a bat and a dragonfly, for example. Children can launch each airplane from the same spot three separate times, using a tape measure to document the distance each plane traveled during each of its three launches, as well as observe how the plane flew or glided. Children will then analyze their findings and compare them to the actual flight patterns of the aforementioned animals and insects.
Introduce the children to aerodynamics by building paper airplanes and comparing them to actual airplanes and jets. Children should predict whether they think an airplane's wingspan, or nose-to-tail length, will affect its ability to fly. Children will choose and fold three different paper airplane designs, each being a different length. Children will launch each airplane from the same spot three separate times, using a measuring tape to document the distance each plane traveled during each of its three launches. Chart the results to see which paper airplane design flew and, for those that did, how far they flew. The same experiement can be done for airplane wingspan.
This project will delve into aerodynamics and will focus on thrust, weight, lift and drag of airplanes. Children will research the scientific properties of gas -- specifically, air -- that allow airplanes to fly. They will also look into how wing design and how air passes over and under the wings helps it to fly. After learning some aerodynamics basics, children will construct a paper airplane and explain how it's able to fly.