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Flying High into the Sky with Math and Science Break out from
the winter blahs and cabin fever. Transform your schoolyard into
a launch pad. Experiment with aerodynamics, Newton’s Laws,
and the Bernoulli principle. Then, have your students create geometric
kites and sleek paper airplanes. Measure distances; determine the
best flying designs and why they were successful. Capture your
aeronautical experiences with a digital camera or camcorder and
report the news to other schools, parents, and the community. 20 Kids * 20 Kites * 20 Minutes The Big Wind Kite Factory on the island of Moloka'i in Hawaii provides students with a list of materials, directions, and illustrations to ensure success. Photos of variations and children flying kites are also included. Feedback from teachers offers insight and suggestions for kite making and flying. Is Kite flying really 2000 years old? Find the answer to that question along with a wealth of information from sample designs and kite names to the math and science behind kite flying. Professor Kite provides information about the best flying days, a pre-launch checklist, acrobatic sport kites, and how to get a variety of kites to fly. Photos of student creations supply ideas for your own projects. Kites as an Educational Tool is a great starting point. Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about kites is included at the Virtual Kite Zoo. Beginners, intermediates, and advanced kite fliers will find useful information from kite terminology, categories of kites, descriptions and illustrations, materials required for making a kite, and types of knots for flying a kite. Follow the virtual tour to the section on uses of kites where you will find information on how kites are used in photography, meteorology, transmitting aerials, target practice, anti-aircraft defense, life-saving, communication, hunting, fishing, bridge building, as well as many others. Resources for educators for enhancing the teaching experience are provided in the Kites in the Classroom section. Kite Lessons This is a complete lesson on kite flying for all age levels. Science concepts, objectives, overview, vocabulary, teacher text, preparation, and teaching time make this a ready to use lesson for students. The how to build a kite section contains a short video clip of students demonstrating the process. An assessment rubric is also provided. This is a great site for the busy teacher. An educational rationale for using kites in the classroom illustrates how content areas are integrated in the kite making process. The technological impact of kites and suggestions on how kites add value to learning are included in this extensive resource for teaching kite making in the classroom. Paper Airplanes It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or a seasoned paper airplane pilot; there are plenty of patterns with folding instructions. Choose from the basic dart to the more complex Falcon or pick an unusual design like the Blue Angels. Information and a photograph are provided about each of the representative planes. In addition, there is a wonderful gallery of paper airplane models. A grandfather shares a childhood design with children around the world through this Website. He claims the DC-3 of paper airplanes flies like no other and describes why it is so special. Printer friendly directions for folding the plane and how to fly it are provided. Advice for correcting errant flight patterns is also offered through an interactive clinic. Fly’N Things – Amazing Paper Airplanes Download models
to print out, build, and fly. The assortment includes eight planes
from WW II and one modern fighter. The designs are more complex
to build and thus, more suited for older students. A brief history
of paper airplanes, general directions, and building tips are also
available. Four planes with illustrated folding instructions are presented. All of the planes are constructed from a single 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper and designed to fly without any cutting, tape, or weights. This is a nice source for patterns. Ken Blackburn’s Paper Airplanes Ken Blackburn holds the Guinness record for time aloft for paper airplanes. At his site, he shares information about aerodynamics and patterns from his viewers. He has also written several books on the subject that are linked to amazon.com for purchase. National Paper Airplane Contest Start a Paper Airplane Contest in your school and prove just how far and how long your airplanes can fly. It's a fun way to learn about aerodynamics! Scholastic provides the framework for your project, including a list of resource books and Websites. Another great starting point can be found at the Exploratorium. Students can transform a single sheet of paper into a paper airplane. Then learn about concepts such as kinetic energy, gravity, and lift. After this lesson, they will have greater appreciation for the properties of paper. Paper Airplane Lessons Beginner’s Guide to Aerodynamics Learn all about aerodynamics using public domain software. FoilSim II computes the theoretical lift of a variety of airfoil shapes. Using the CurveBall applet, students learn more about aerodynamics by controlling the conditions of a big league baseball pitch. KiteModeler lets you design and study the flight of a kite. These programs are geared toward high school students who have a solid science background. Kids Do Science – Airplanes and the Methods of Science In this fourth grade lesson, the scientific method is introduced using paper airplanes. All of the materials you need for conducting the lesson in your classroom are provided including the teacher’s guide, lesson plan, PowerPoint Slide show, student data sheet, vocabulary, pattern for building the Big Brown Bat, assessment, and two colorful posters on the scientific method and safety. It is an awesome timesaver for the busy teacher. Geared to grade 2-6, this is a basic lesson for setting up an experiment using the scientific method and paper airplanes. Students gather baseline data, add variables, test the planes, and graph the results. A student data sheet and procedures are included. Where to Buy Kites and Paper Airplanes Shop at Flying Toys to find toys and gifts for pilots of all ages! Find a large selection of airplanes, paper airplanes, balsa gliders, foam gliders, Frisbees, boomerangs, rockets, helicopters, gifts, aviation project kits and so much more at Flying Toys. Fun with Wind is part of WebAxis Enterprises and has been in business since 1983. They provide a large selection of brand name kites, spinners, and banners. Prices range from $3.89 and up. Purchase traditional
and stunt kites from this company. Prices range from $3.99 and
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