Paper Airplane Test Lab
About 60 minutes, indoors, for ages 8 to 10.
Where it works
Works in any indoor space
Who it's for
ages 8 to 10
Try Flying:
- a wide-winged plane
- a narrow dart
- a plane you invented
- the longest flight of the day
Today's Challenge
- 1.Which plane went furthest?
- 2.Did the heaviest plane win, or the lightest?
- 3.What would you change about the losing design?
Quick Start: What you need
- 1paper
- 2pencil
The Goal
Fold three different planes, fly them down a hallway, and work out which design wins.
How to start
- 1
Gather what you need: paper and pencil. Nothing else required.
- 2
Head indoors and fly: a wide-winged plane, a narrow dart, a plane you invented, the longest flight of the day.
- 3
Talk about what you made. Start with "Which plane went furthest?"
- 4
Print the worksheet to plan it out and keep what you make.
Record Your Results
Write each plane name below and how many steps it flew.
A paper plane usually flies further when its weight sits toward the nose rather than the tail.
If you want to push it further
- Fly each plane three times and take the best throw
- Add one paperclip to the nose and test it again
Print it and go
The worksheet has the checklist, the prompts, and a space to draw in. One page, ready for a bag or a glovebox.