Flight Lab

From the Kodo Classroom

Preschool and school-age children love to find and make objects that float inside the tube. One of the favorites is the Dixie Cup Flyer. Cut a square or circle out of fabric or coffee filter. Punch three or four holes at equal distance around the top of the dixie cup. Do the same with the circle or square. Use thread or embroidery floss to attach the two pieces like a parachute/or wind kite. Then test and pose some questions:

• Does the flyer fly out of the tunnel? Stay in the tunnel? Get all twisted up on itself?
• What happens if you change the shape or size of the kite part?
• What happens if you add or subtract weight from the cup part?
• Can a toy animal go for a ride in that cup?
• Do other kinds of cups work?

Try making other flyers out of small cardboard toilet tissue tubes, juice boxes, styrofoam coffee cup, paper plates and paper loops – hint – use fins, flaps and folds to catch the wind!

Children’s Books To Share:

• The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins
• A Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand
• Feel The Wind by Arthur Dorros
• Where Does The Wind Blow by Cynthia A. Rink
• Kite Flying by Grace Lin
• Who Were the Wright Brothers by James Buckley Jr.
• Violet the Pilot by Steve Breen
• Flight by Andrew Nahum

See the Flight Lab in action!

And another great video related to wind and flight…