Up into the Air

Leaving the ground for the air is exhilarating – and can be hard to do. Take off on these airborne activities about flight.

CONNECT:

• Have you ever dreamt you were flying? Since the beginning of history, people have dreamed of flying, as you’ll see here: https://www.fi.edu/topics/flight
• The Museum of Flight is one of the largest air and space museums in the world. Browse current exhibits virtually at http://www.museumofflight.org/
• What’s the story behind the Wright brothers, who made the first successful flight of a motor-powered airplane? It’s at http://www.wright-house.com/wright-brothers/Wrights.html
• If you've ever been interested in taking a ride in a hot air balloon, this is the site for you: http://www.hotairballooning.com/

CREATE:

• Enjoy a variety of online activities exploring the principles of aviation and spaceflight: https://airandspace.si.edu/learn
• Connect with NASA’s interactive website for students: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html
• Have you ever wondered what the controls of a aircraft do? you have come to the right place! http://meriweather.com/flight-decks/
• Learn how to make paper airplanes with these easy instructions: https://www.origamiway.com/paper-airplanes.shtml
• Make your own model air balloon by following the directions at https://www.homesciencetools.com/a/make-a-hot-air-balloon

CARE:

• What safe is flying? Here are some comforting facts: http://www.gogetterjetsetter.com/how-safe-is-flying.php
• A commercial pilot answers questions about flying and its safety: https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/how-to-fly-commercial-pilot-flying-questions
• Follow these top ten child air travel safety trips: http://www.airsafe.com/kidsafe/kid_tips.htm
• Have fun watching this flight safety demo by little kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y17u5o5HVeo

CAREERS:

Even if you are afraid of flying, you can have a career related to flight: as a chef, travel agent, mechanic, engineer, and communicator. Let your imaginatin take flight with some of these aeronautic careers:

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/FS-2001-09-68-LaRC.html

http://www.nctaviationcareers.com/

https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/aviation-education-and-resources/eaa-youth-education/work-in-aviation-and-start-your-aviation-career

http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/science-technology-careers/aviation/

https://www.faa.gov/jobs/

http://www.payscale.com/career-news/2011/08/jobs-in-aviation

Go Fly a Kite

April is Kite Month, largely because the weather conditions in the Northern Hemisphere are good for flying them. But you can learn about kites any time of the year. And when someone says, “Go fly a kite,” take them up on it – as a compliment.

CONNECT:

• Look at different types of kites at the Virtual Kite Zoo: http://www.blueskylark.org/zoo/
• Trace 3000 years of kite history at http://www.my-best-kite.com/history-of-chinese-kites.html
• Meteorological kites served important roles in the Industrial Revolution. Check them out at http://www.kitehistory.com/Miscellaneous/meteorological_kites.htm
• How does a kite fly? Check out its aerodynamics at http://blog.nasm.si.edu/aviation/how-kites-fly/
• Benjamin Franklin discovered electrical phenomenon using a kite Truth or myth?  Read one version at http://www.codecheck.com/cc/BenAndTheKite.html.  Now read about Myth Busters’s experiment at http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/ben-franklin-electricity.htm

CREATE:

• Make your own kite following the directions at: http://www.skratch-pad.com/kites/make.html. Another video set of directions for making a kite can be seen at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Fast-Kite-with-One-Sheet-of-Paper
• Kite festivals are held around the world. Maybe there’s one near you that you could visit – and you can always see pictures virtually. A list of kite festivals is found at http://matadornetwork.com/trips/photo-gallery-23-huge-kite-festivals-around-the-world/
• Experiment with different kite shapes, and see which flies best: http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/kites.html
• Discover kite math at http://www.transum.org/software/Fun_Maths/kite/

CARE:

• Have a story about kites? You can add it to the World’s Kit Collection at http://www.drachen.org/
• Find out safety issues about kite flying at http://www.awindofchange.com/lessons/lesson1-1.html
• Help plan a kite festival: http://www.nationalkitemonth.org/events/
• Kites aren’t just for fun. Find out some nifty uses at https://sites.google.com/site/stanfordkfs/the-kite/uses-of-kites

CAREERS:

Up in the air about careers? You might fly high with these careers:

http://www.aopa.org/letsgoflying/dream/whyfly/careers.html

http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/background/careers/

http://www.khake.com/page41.html