A model airplane made out of cardboard and paper has a bright nose cone, decorated in orange and red markers.

Ages 5+ | 30 mins | Craft | No Screens

You decide how an airplane should look when you make this easy model.

What You'll Need: 

  • Paper towel tube
  • 3 pieces of paper
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • Crayons or markers
  • Optional: Printer

1. Make your wings.

  • Take a piece of paper and fold it in half the long way (hot dog style).
  • Fold it again to make a long rectangle (hot dog style). This is your airplane wing.
  • Decide how you want the ends of your wings to look, then cut them out. They can be wide, skinny, curved, or straight. Be creative!

2. Make your tail.

  • To make the tail, get another piece of paper and start by folding it the long way (hot dog style).
  • Take that rectangle and then fold it again to make (hamburger style) a shorter rectangle. Think about what shape you want your tail to be, then cut it out.

3. Put the pieces together.

  • Wrap your cardboard tube in a piece of paper, or decorate it a different way.
  • Tape or glue the wing to the bottom of the tube, towards the middle.
  • Tape or glue the tail to the end of the tube, farthest from the wing.

4. Bonus! Make your own nose art. 

  • Print out the nose cone template, and decorate your nose cone.
  • Cut the nose cone from the paper, and roll it into a cone shape.
  • Tape or glue it on the side to secure it. 
Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (Kittyhawk IA)

In World War II, planes were also decorated.

  • Decorating an airplane with names, pictures, and mascots was popular in World War II.
  • It helped create team spirit, and make airplanes look tough and scary.
  • This airplane (a Curtiss P-40E Warhawk)  is an example of a plane flown by a team of pilots called the Flying Tigers. The noses of their airplanes were painted with shark faces.

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Optional

Adapted from Soar Together at Air and Space. Soar Together is made possible by the generous support of the Northrop Grumman Foundation.