A Propeller Craft

09/10/2008 (Thursday)

a) A visit to Wright Brothers’
T : Which came first? Hot air balloon or aeroplane?
Class : Hot Air Balloon.
* They learnt that to travel faster and not to rely too much to wind, the Wright Brothers thought of
inventing an aeroplane. They were actually bicycle operators. They used their experience and tools
to do many experiments to invent an aeroplane.
* They enjoyed looking at the fashion of people in 1900s….about 100 years ago.
* Eugene shared his compilation book of Flying Machines besides seeing my bigger pictures.
* The first experiment really looked liked an Eagle. However, Ze Yan said it can’t fly because the
wings are too heavy. Finally, after many experiments; they created a glider that flies without an
engine. Then, a few years later, they invented aeroplanes with engines.

b) Types of Aeroplanes.
* The kids were attracted to the Military aeroplane. They look so modern and trendy. They can fly
very fast as a jet. They carried soldiers or parachutes or food and water.
* They saw the difference of a Passenger Aeroplane and a Military Aeroplane. The Passenger
Aeroplane is usually bigger to accommodate passengers.
* They looked though the different pictures until they saw a Military Helicopter.
* Can a helicopter and aeroplane go backward or reverse?
* They were unsure……but they know that helicopter is flexible. Zi Yang said a helicopter can move
many directions.

c) Video Clip: Aeroplane and helicopter.
* They watched how Passenger Aeroplanes depart. Yes…..they need to run on the runway before
flying up into the sky. We saw the Cathay Pacific, Bangladeshi and also Arabian’s flights.
* They were huge and are considered jets that have 4 engines.
* We counted the number of wheels. They have 5 pairs of wheels with one pair in front. Different
aeroplane has different arrangement of wheels.
T : Why do people invent a helicopter?
ZY : To save people.
Eugene : It is lighter and easier to fly.

* We watched how a helicopter flew in action. It could overturn and even fly backwards……Wow!!!
* We observed the big and small propellers of the helicopter..
* We saw how another helicopter carried Rescue Dogs to save some people from the sea.
Class : Wow…..dogs can swim well.
Teacher : If they are trained well, then they can swim very well.
* As we watched the helicopter hovering, we recalled the dragonfly which Teacher Karen gave us.
Yes………the flying pattern is alike.

d) A Propeller craft.
* We sang “The Airplane” Song which we edited. The kids read the words and sang the song.
* As the kids wanted to make the “Doraemon” or “Helicopter” propeller. A propeller can be found on
a helicopter to help it hover. I introduced them the necessary tools.
* A rectangle piece of cardboard paper (small piece), a straw and super glue.
* The kids folded it into half, drew a small triangle and cut the it.
* Then, they inserted a straw into the hole. They tried spinning it from the chair.
* We compared 2 types. 1 using a straw and another one using a sate stick. They said the straw
Propeller could fly better.