DIY helicopter: A fun activity to make your kids fall in love with STEM
Children are often fascinated by aerial objects, such as airplanes, drones and helicopters. However, they are mostly not aware of the mechanism that makes these aerial objects fly. A simple, fun activity like a DIY helicopter will help kids understand the way they work. Moreover, this STEM activity will give wings to their imagination and creativity. So, here we are today, with a simple DIY activity that involves making a rubber band powered helicopter. It is not only easy to construct, but can be also flow into the air as high as 20 feet.
What you’ll need
- Small-sized plastic propeller
- Craft sticks
- Paper clips
- Rubber bands
- Card stock
- Duct tape
- Scissors
How to
Here is a step-by-step guide to make the helicopter. Encourage your kids to follow these.
- Have your kid get hold of the plastic propeller and attach it firmly to onto a craft stick using a paper clip.
- To bend and attach the paper clip, hold it flat against the craft stick with the tip of the thumb and then wrap a piece of duct tape tightly around it.
- Help the kid cut out the card stock at size 1.5 inches by 7 inches. This size is ideal to make the copter work, as it is neither too small (that will not create enough lateral drag) nor too huge, that will make the device a bit too heavy.
- At this stage, the cut-out needs to be attached on the opposite side of the exposed paperclip. This will ensure that the rubber band doesn’t rub against the paper clip.
- Finally, it’s time to attach the rubber bands. Suggest your kid to stretch the rubber band by using their fingers. It should easily fit into the propeller hook and the adjoint paperclip. Usually, two rubber bands do the job nicely. The key is to twist the rubber bands until they’re completely coiled.
How to fly the helicopter?
To fly the helicopter, your budding scientist should hold the top of the propeller and the bottom of the craft stick near the paperclip. To ensure that the flight is both stable and high, one must first let go of the top followed by the bottom, with a gap of half a second in between. A fun trick here is to use the word “tick tock!” to measure the time gap.
What made the helicopter fly?
When the rubber bands are wound up against the propeller, energy gets stored in the process. When the copter is flown, the rubber bands release their energy by unwinding, turning both the propeller and the paper cut-outs. Thereafter, the paper cut-out pushes against the surrounding air creating a horizontal air resistance, also called drag. Because of the drag, it gets harder for the cut-out to spin, which ensures that more amount of energy is released onto the propeller, turning it gradually. Once the propeller gains speed and starts spinning fast, it lifts itself by pushing the surrounding air downwards. This is how, with enough energy, the helicopter can fly in whichever direction it is pointed.