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Writer's pictureElena Melamed

At Home STEAM Project: 011

Up, up and away! Imagine the look on your kids face when a simple helicopter that they built themselves takes flight for the first time.


011: Elastic Helicopters!

Have your child design and build their copter and then challenge them to see how high they can get it to fly.

What you need:

-Masking tape

-Scissors

-Card stock

-Plastic propellers

-Craft sticks

-Rubber bands

-Paperclips

Instructions:

The Build

-Fit the plastic propeller onto to the tip of a craft stick

-Bend up a paper clip to just under a 90 degree angle

-Tightly tape the paperclip to the opposite end of the craft stick

-Design, cutout and tape a helicopter shape to the craft stick

-String (2) #33 rubber bands from the propeller and the paper clip


To Fly:

-Holding the bottom of the craft stick, rotate the propeller until the rubber bands fully coil twice

-Hold the helicopter out in front of you, let go of the propeller first and then the base next, as quick as 1,2.

-Watch it fly!

Troubleshooting and safety

-Make sure you have wound the rubber band fully twice over

-Make sure to release the propeller separate from the base

-The size and shape of the cutout matter, try different designs -Don't fly around breakable things, trees or roofs

-Keep the propeller away from your face and hair

What they learn:

-Stored energy

-Structural design

-Inertia

-Trial and error

When the project is complete:

-Take a photo of the structure and share it with us! Tag us on social media and use hashtag #theRchild, we can't wait to see the results.

Interested in learning more about STEAM education?

You can find our current class offering here: https://bit.ly/2HCs8IT

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