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3.07.2012

Flight School...with paper airplanes and hula hoops :)

Well, Transportation Week rolls on! Or technically, I should say "flies" on since we were having fun with planes today :)


This was THE simplest activity...but my kids had a blast! I loved that it was free and I had all the materials on hand. Since I managed to come down with a stomach bug and spent much of my afternoon feeling pretty yucky, I also loved that this kept them entertained for quite a while :) This is a great indoor activity that promises lots of fun...and you can even throw in some math lessons too!


First of all, you nee a few things for your very own Flight School.
First up...you need The Aircrafts.


Believe it or not, I had never made my own paper airplanes before. I had the kids color blank pieces of paper and then I went to THIS website for step by step instructions on how to make 10 different types of planes. I just chose the easiest ones :)



Once your planes are awaiting flight, you need to recruit some eager, young cadets ready to learn all about flying!


Then you simply need to prepare your flight school :)

All I did was get 2 hula hoops we had down in the basement. One was bigger than the other, then I got pieces of yarn and tied the hoops so they would hang down from our upstairs banister. You could hang these from just about anything...shower curtain rod, etc or just tape them up in a doorway or entry way.

Then flight school began! If the kids could make their airplanes go through the big, lower hoop they would recieve 5 points.

The smaller, higher hoop was worth 10 points. This is where the math came in as well...my oldest daughter was in charge of adding up the points and keeping score. Great way to practice counting by 5's and 10's.




Our flight school today was a total success!!

If you like these transportation activities...keep coming back! We have some fun train, boat and construction activities...I can't wait! Have a wonderful day!!



6 comments:

Jennifer @ Delightfully Noted

Oh yeah I remember those were a blast to make in school (although we obviously should have been paying attention!) Love the added hula hoop challenge though.

I've actually been wanting to design a paper airplane invite for the shop for awhile now!

Michelle Paige

Paper airplanes are always a big hit. Love the hula hoops! Hope you're feeling better!

Unknown

Super fun idea! A couple years ago my boys were obsessed with paper airplanes so I seriously learned how to make all 10 of those paper airplanes. I've forgotten them all by now but It's amazing what skills you end up learning being a Mom.

Lene

oh my gosh! My boys would love those hula hoops. Paper airplanes are a constant in our house. MUST TRY!

jess@balancing the dream

how fun is this!!! That would be a great activity at a birthday party!!

Anonymous

What a fantastic and super-fun idea! :D

I have linked to your post in my round up of the 10 best craft ideas and activities for paper planes: http://hodgepodgecraft.com/2013/07/the-10-best-craft-ideas-and-activities-for-paper-planes/

Thanks for letting me share!
Gude at Hodge Podge