How do airplanes, rockets and other things move through the air?
We can answer this question through the study of aerodynamics.

  • Studying aerodynamics help us understand how birds and other animals fly, and how airplanes stay in the sky.
  • Engineers and inventors need to study aerodynamics so they can build better airplanes and rockets.
  • They can test how air moves around the wings and body of aircraft to make sure it flies safely and smoothly.
An illustration of three young girls waving at the sign for the Zoo.

Story Time Video: Flap, Flap, Soar

For Ages: 4 and up

Listen to a story about three friends who visit the zoo. 

A photograph of the black of a child modeling brown cardboard flapping wings.

Craft: Make Flapping Wings

For Ages: 5 and up, with help from a grown up

Make your own set of wings and learn about the forces of flight. 

Four different shapes - rectangle, triangle, square and circle - taped onto a straw, with one of them placed on a bamboo skewer that has a small square base attached.

Experiment: Wind Spinner

For Ages: 8 and up 

Create a wind spinner and experiment with air and how it can move objects.  

Story Time Video | Ages 4 and Up

Flap, Flap, Soar

Listen to a story about three friends who visit the zoo and are inspired by animals that fly. They see hawks, eagles, little birds, bats, butterflies, and dragonflies and are inspired to make winged costumes.  

Did you know ... 

The Lilienthal Glider at the Museum
This is a glider Lilienthal developed. It is now in the Museum.
  • Otto Lilienthal was a German engineer from the 1800s who was inspired by birds! He studied how they fly and used that knowledge to build gliders.
  • He used what he saw to build gliders with curved wings, just like birds, so people could try flying too.
  • He flew almost 2,000 times. He proved that people could glide through the air, inspiring others like the Wright brothers to keep working on airplanes. 
A photograph of the black of a child modeling brown cardboard flapping wings.

Craft | Ages 5 and Up

Make Your Own Flapping Wings

Make your own set of wings and learn about the forces of flight. 

What You'll Need: 

  • A large piece of cardboard or poster paper (about 12" by 36")
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • Yarn, string, or ribbon
  • Stickers or markers to decorate it
  • Optional: Electric fan
  1. Cut out two wing shapes from paper or cardboard.
    Our example wings are shaped like dragonfly wings.
  2. Attach string or ribbon to each end of one wing using tape to make arm straps and hand straps. Repeat for the second wing.
  3. Flap your arms slowly and then quickly.
    Optional: Try it in front of a fan to feel the air pushing against the wings.
  4. What happens when you flap faster? Can you feel the air pushing back? Do others around you feel the air around your wings?
  5. Decorate your wings any way you like!

What's happening?

When you flap your cardboard wings, air moves faster over the top and slower underneath, which can make you feel a little lift. But air also pushes back against your wings, which is drag—like trying to push a board through water. 

 Flapping your wings pushes air down and helps you move forward, but the wings aren’t designed to fully support flight, so it’s harder to stay up.

Birds use their wings and tails to steer, balance, and land. You might feel a breeze from your wings moving air, but without the right body and wing shape, you won’t have enough control to fly.

Birds inspired us to fly, but humans have to fly in a different way. 

Find out why! 

Four different shapes - rectangle, triangle, square and circle - taped onto a straw, with one of them placed on a bamboo skewer that has a small square base attached.

Experiment | Ages 8 and Up

Wind Spinner

Create a wind spinner to experiment with air and how it can move objects.  

What You'll Need: 

  • One skewer or chopstick
  • At least 4 drinking straws
  • Construction Paper
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • A small (1 inch) piece of cardboard, styrofoam, or clay
  • Paper and pencil
     

Create your shape spinner

  1. Cut the following shapes out of cardboard, about 3 inches wide: circle, square, triangle, rectangle.
  2. Attach a straw to the back of each shape using tape.
  3. Place the skewer through one of the plastic straws.
  4. Blow on the shape and make it spin!

Test out the different shapes

Do you think the shape will change how the air flows against it?

  1. Put the first shape onto the skewer set-up. Try making it spin by blowing on it.
  2. Take turns putting each shape on the skewer and blowing on it to make it spin.
  3. Compare how the different shapes move in the wind. Think of these questions while you observe: 
    Does one shape spin faster than the others or is it the same? 
    Does the stick wiggle when it's spinning or does it stay still?  
    Was it hard to get the shape to start spinning?
  4. Talk about your observations to a grown-up or family member. See if they want to spin the wind spinners too!

What's happening?

  • Air is pushing on one side of the shape and causing it to spin.
  • Did you notice that you have to hold the shape in the air at a certain point for the wind to catch? If the air pushes on the shape at the wrong angle, that creates drag.  

Learn More About Drag

More Activities

How Things Fly

How Things Fly

Explore the four forces of flight and air movement with online activities, animations, and short videos. 

Step by step instructions show how to fold a paper airplane.

Create Your Own Paper Airplane

Paper airplanes are a fun way to play around with the dynamics of flight. Create your own paper airplanes with our online generator, or find more in this book written by a Museum educator. 

A black field filled with small paper airplanes made out of cardboard and a Q-tip.
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Soar Together at Air and Space is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman.