Smithsonian Institute Paper Airplane Challenge

We did this on the wrong day. It’s okay. I’m going to date this so it looks like I’m way more organized than I am, there, at least I’m honest!

Science really isn’t my forte. But, I want my kids to see Science as this magical discovery of things that they are interested in, things that matter, things that go boom and light up the sky or things that are so tiny we need special instruments to even see them. My idealized version of science is that it is eye-opening, bursting with energy and light and random particles bouncing off each other to form new, amazing things. They may end up getting bored with parts of science, but I want them to believe that at the root of it all is gorgeous, brilliantly-colored molecules that matter, they really do.

So, I have to think what would excite my boys, and go at Science from that angle.

Tonight, quite by accident, we came across a cute little video on the Smithsonian Institute website – forces of flight. My kids are interested in speed (specifically of two-wheeled vehicles), but speed nonetheless. We stumbled on this website and then went on to design our own Paper Airplane, and enter the Paper Airplane Challenge.

 

photo from here.

 

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