Can you make a homemade paper airplane launcher? Be inspired by famous aviator Amelia Earhart and design your own paper plane launcher at home or in the classroom. All you need are a few simple supplies and your imagination to come up with a paper plane catapult. We love fun and easy STEM projects for kids!
Who Is Amelia Earhart?
Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences, and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots.
Before she became a pilot, she become a nurse’s aide taking care of wounded soldiers in World War I. Then she studied to become a mechanic, but soon was back in school studying for a career in medicine.
Also learn about scientist, Agnes Pockels and surface tension! You can find more famous women in STEM projects here.
What Is Engineering For Kids?
Let’s keep it simple for our junior engineers! Engineering, simply put, is the application of science and math to solve problems.
Engineering is all about designing and building machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles etc. Engineers take scientific principals and make things that are useful for people.
Like other areas of STEM, engineering is all about solving problems and figuring out why things do what they do. Keep in mind that a good engineering challenge will involve some science and math too!
How does this work? You might not always know the answer to that question! However, what you can do is provide learning opportunities to get your kids started with the engineering process of planning, designing, building and reflecting.
Engineering is good for kids! Whether it be in the successes or learning through failures, engineering projects push kids to expand their horizons, experiment, problem-solve, and embrace failure as a means to success.
Can engineering be do-able and fun for kids? Absolutely, and we will show you some AMAZING engineering projects and challenges for kids below that are easy to set up, budget-friendly, and of course playful! Hands-on is the way to go with our young scientists, explorers, and engineers.
Helpful STEM Resources To Get You Started
Here are a few resources that will help you introduce STEM more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.
- Engineering Design Process Explained
- What Is An Engineer
- Engineering Vocab
- Real World STEM
- Questions for Reflection (get them talking about it!)
- BEST STEM Books for Kids
- 14 Engineering Books for Kids
- Jr. Engineer Challenge Calendar (Free)
- Must Have STEM Supplies List
- Join us in the Club
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE PLANE LAUNCHER PROJECT!
How To Make A Paper Plane Launcher
Design Challenge:
Design and build a device that will launch a paper airplane. Follow our instructions below or come up with your paper airplane launcher design.
- Think about how the angle at which you launch the plane might affect its flight distance.
- Try using different lengths and thicknesses of rubber bands.
- Do some work better than others? Why do you think that is?
Time Constraint: 30 minutes (or more if time allows)
Supplies:
- Paper
- rubber bands
- pen or pencil
- paper clips
- tape or stapler
- cardboard
- building toys such as LEGO or wood
Instructions:
STEP 1. Draw a few sketches of your design ideas, and pick one to build.
STEP 2. Build a prototype of your design.
STEP 3. Test your airplane launcher.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR PRINTABLE WOMEN IN STEM ACTIVITY PACK!
More Fun Building Challenges
Click here for more easy STEM Activities and Science Experiments with paper
Printable STEM Activities Pack for Kids
80+ Doable Engineering Projects in one convenient pack!
- Full instructions with sample images
- Activity-specific instruction sheets
- Data Collection Sheets
- Questions for Reflection
- Architecture Building Cards: Try the tallest tower challenge
- Bridge Building Cards: Explore different types of bridges to build your own.
- Paper Chain STEM Challenge: Who can make the longest chain? Great icebreaker or quick challenge!
- 3 Little Pigs Architectural Pack: Design a house that won’t blow away!
- Great marshmallow challenge: A classic challenge kids love!
- Real-world STEM challenge lesson but don’t know where to start? Our easy-to-follow template shows the steps!
- What’s the difference between a scientist and an engineer?
- Crossword and word search with engineering vocabulary.
- Engineering vocabulary cards
- Design a one-of-a-kind invention and write about it with this 5-page activity!
