March 30 Activities
S- science. Spring has sprung and the robins are back! See if you can find some facts about them on the internet (or encyclopedias or bird books, if you have them). See if you can answer the following questions: Where do they go in the winter? Why do they go there? What is that journey called? How far do they go? Gather the facts you find into a list, and make a poster. Make sure to leave room for a picture of a robin! If you finish this, do the same with some other birds you have seen outside now that spring is here!
T- technology. Toilet paper tubes… We’ve all got some somewhere! If you don’t, you can use a paper towel tube or a piece of paper rolled up and taped. Let’s build a car with them! If you have straws, tape, and some cardboard, you can use the straws for axles (they hold the wheels together in sets of two, going across the bottom of the car) and the cardboard to cut out circles for wheels. See if you can find a way to use air to move your car! Either blow on it, build a sail to stick on top to catch the air, or (if you have one) use a balloon INSIDE the tube… See what you can do with some cardboard, tape, and air! See how far your car can go with one breath, or how far it goes if you use a fan or hair dryer! There are all kinds of fun ways you can make your car go!
E/M- engineering and math combined! Find a few sheets of paper and make two different (more if you know how) kinds of paper airplanes*! Test each type to determine the following: Which type flies the straightest? Which type flies the farthest (make sure to measure distances in some way: either with string, number of steps, or measuring tape if you have a long one)? Which type can do loops or tricks best? Write your findings down as you go.
When you’ve finished, use your measurements to do some math! Find the difference between longest flight and shortest flight. If you are in grades 3 or 4, try finding the average flight distance for each kind of airplane (add the measured flights’ distances together for one type at a time, then divide by however many flights with that kind of airplane you measured).
*Here is a step-by-step list of five different kinds: 5-basic-paper-airplanes
You can also find quite a few tutorials on YouTube, AND by asking friends and family! (I learned from my older brother when I was a kid.)
Bonus Challenge: When you have decided which airplane is your favorite, or the best at any certain task, try to make it better by making changes to it! Try adding a little weight (paper clips or tiny bits of clay work well) or change the wing shapes (folded tips vs. straight tips, etc). See if you can design the PERFECT paper airplane!
Take photos and email them to Mrs. Lozar if you can! I’d love to put a slide-show together for the website and for when we get back to school! Email photos to: [email protected]