December 17, 1903 is an important date in both American History and Science, as that is the day Orville and Wilbur Wright made one of the first successful flights of a powered airplane, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The Wright Brothers’ fascination with flight actually began in 1878, when their father gave them a toy helicopter, which was based on the principles of French aeronautical pioneer Alphonse Pénaud. At that time, however, flight was only achievable with toys. Twenty-five years later, their imagination inspired by that toy took actual flight.
Commemorate Wright Brothers Day by inspiring your students the same way the Wrights once were – with a toy. Here’s how you can have your students build their own paper airplane and launcher, to see first hand the dynamics of flight and the basics of aviation!
Making a paper airplane is simple, but making a really good one for educational purposes takes a little more effort.
The YouTube channel Origami Flying has posted a tutorial video for making a first-rate paper airplane that is one of the best we’ve seen. This is perfect for multiple types of lessons, from STEM/STEAM projects to a historical lesson on the Wright Brothers.
We highly recommend subscribing to their channel for more great videos.
Here’s the video:
Be sure to share this with other teachers!