Whirly Bird Aerodynamics

How does a helicopter stay in the air? In this week's aerodynamics-themed family science activity, students can learn more about helicopters by making and testing simple miniature paper helicopters or whirly birds. Paper whirly birds don't have any mechanical parts, but their structure helps kids better understand how the blades on a helicopter function. What do principles of lift and drag have to do with the spinning of a helicopter's blades? What happens if you add additional weight to the blades? Does changing the overall material of the whirly bird change how it flies? Put questions like these to the test by making and dropping your own paper whirly birds from a high point so you can observe how they fall to the ground!

• Make a Whirlybird from Paper (activity)
• Make a "Whirly Bird" from Paper(project idea)

You Might Also Enjoy These Related Posts:

• Inspiring Scientists and Engineers to Know - Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• 5 STEM Activities with Marshmallow Peeps
• Science Fair Projects to Explore the Science Behind Self-Driving Cars
• March Madness Basketball Science Experiments
• Women's History Month: 50+ Women in Science and Engineering to Learn More About
• 10 Reasons to Do the 2022 Fluor Challenge
• 2022 Paper Ball Run Fluor Challenge — 7 Steps to Success
• 4 Football Science Projects for Super Bowl-Sized Learning