When was the Last Time You Taught Your Kids Through a Fun Activity?

Easy Paper Airplane & STEM Paper Airplane Challenge to Spend Quality Time with Kids

Three problems have enveloped kids of all ages at present.

Number 1 is the fact that they often feel neglected by their parents. Working parents do not get enough time to spend with their kids due to busy schedules. This causes a very negative impact on children who crave the love and attention of their parents.

Whether we admit it or not, having fun is as necessary as eating food and drinking water. Now, you will also agree with the fact that children usually prefer to have fun all the time. Do you think they would pick a book and study something instead of playing with their friends or watching TV? Of course not! This is the second problem. The cherry on top was the schools being shut for two years.

The third problem is that children conveniently drift towards television and video games during the lockdown. The worst part is that they prefer to stay glued to a screen instead of indulging in physical activities and games. This is one of the primary reasons that Piggy Ride’s activity classes for kids are such a big hit.

If you think there is not much you can do to change these scenarios, you are far from right. You have the power to change everything. However, you will have to start with yourself. In this blog, we are going to share a simple yet creative activity that will solve all these problems for you while also encouraging your child to study.

So, it is a STEM challenge. The activity involves creating easy paper airplanes and observing their speed, distance, elevation, and then finding possible techniques to overcome the prominent issues. Now, before we move on with the activity, let us first get the basics out of the way.

How to Fold a Simple Paper Airplane?

Folding a simple paper airplane is quite easy and you might already know this, in which case you can skip this segment. All you need to make a paper airplane is a rectangular sheet of paper and double-sided tape. The sheet from your regular notebook will be perfect. Here are the steps to create a simple one, also known as a dart:

1. Keeping the paper in portrait mode, fold the paper in half (vertically).
2. Unfold the paper and using the vertical crease as a guide, fold the top corners into the center crease.
3. You will now get a triangular shape in the folded part. Fold the parallel edges of the triangle into the center crease.
4. Fold the plane along the center crease as you created in the first step.
5. Now, you have two wings. Fold them outwards to give a body to your plane.
6. To make the body remain firm, add double-sided tape to the inside of the body.

If confused, watch this video. Your dart is ready. While folding the paper, make sure to press firmly to create crisp creases and folds for better performance.

What is a STEM Challenge?

Consider the STEM challenge as a project that encourages kids to incorporate science, technology, engineering, or even math skills to explore, design, test, and build solutions for specific problems. In this STEM paper airplane challenge, the problems could be:

• The paper airplane does not cover a longer distance
• The speed is much slower or much faster
• The force of gravity pulls it down earlier
• The airplane descends as the thrust (the force of throw) ends
• The nose of the airplane bends downwards causing it to fall quickly
• And many more

What is the Activity and How is it Going to Solve the Three Problems Discussed at the Beginning?

The activity is to create a simple paper airplane with your child and then point out the problems and ask your child to find the solutions. You must watch a few videos beforehand to be able to ask questions and explain certain concepts.

While doing this activity:

• You get to spend time with your kid
• Your child learns several concepts while having fun
• No screen time while performing this activity

Enroll your child in our online activity classes so they can learn inciting concepts while playing.