Give children an introductory lesson on directions and maps by looking for airplanes. Take children outside and set up a blanket on the ground. Have children lie down and look for airplanes flying overhead. When you spot a plane, ask children to point in the direction they think the plane is moving. Using a compass, show children how to find the true direction the plane was moving. Show children a map of the country and point out your town. Help children find points on the map where the plane might be headed based on its direction and nearby airports.
Create a pretend airplane to teach children about safety. Place paper circles in rows on the floor to simulate plane seats. Place long pieces of ribbon or crepe paper on each circle. Tape pictures of fire extinguishers to the walls and create emergency doors with red tape. Line children up and help them board the plane by walking in a single-file line to get to a seat. Ask children to put the ribbon seatbelts across their laps. Explain the safety features on the plane and ask children to pretend that oxygen masks are overhead. Once you're done talking about safety, let children pretend to fly and look out the windows.
To make a basic glider, give each child five straws. Help children tape their straws into triangles, with two straws on each side and one straw on the bottom. Once the frames are made, give each child a sheet of newspaper and masking tape. Children must cover the straw frames with paper and tape it into place. Roll up a small ball of masking tape and stick it to one side of each glider; cover it with another piece of tape. Take children outside. Holding onto the tape handle, they can send their gliders flying and measure how far they go.
Packing for an airplane trip is harder than packing for a car trip, since there are restrictions about what you can bring on board. Talk about this with children, then give them each one piece of paper. Explain that this paper is a suitcase. Children must pack everything they need for a trip into one suitcase. Pass out magazines and scissors so children can cut out pictures of items they need to pack, such as clothes and shampoo. Have glue available so children can glue all their items into their suitcases.