Games
Papertube Glider
Children design gliders using only paper, creating tube-based flying structures to explore aerodynamics, balance, and flight through creative hands-on experimentation.
Materials
- Colorful A4 Papers
- Tape or Glue
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Checklist
Older game
how to play
Provide the kids with the paper each. Begin by telling a short story, such as being young aviators testing gliders to deliver messages across mountains or designing flying machines for magical creatures, to spark imagination. Give each student paper and show them how to roll it into a tube to form a basic glider. Encourage them to experiment by adding wings or fins, adjusting the size, shape, and weight distribution to see how it affects flight. If children face difficulties, give hints such as: How can you balance the glider evenly? How does changing the wing size or shape affect its flight? How can you adjust your throw for maximum distance? Make sure each child has enough turns to design, test, and observe their gliders while exploring aerodynamics, balance, and creative problem-solving.
Challanges
- Make some shapes out of paper that can fly, but the challenge won't be to make rockets or airplanes.
- Show them a demo, then let them take it apart and figure out how it works.
- After that, they can try making their own gliders. Ask them to make either smaller or larger than the demo and let them figure out the number of pieces of paper they would require.
Questions to be asked
- Why do you think a circular shape flies well?
- Can you figure out a way to make it without using any tape or glue?