Flying High with STEM

Let's fly high with STEM! If you are searching for a theme that will provide a multitude of curriculum integration ideas, aviation and flight is a perfect choice.

• How airplanes are built is ENGINEERING
• How airplanes fly is SCIENCE
• Distance, speed and time
  airplanes travel is MATHEMATICS
• What airplanes cost is ECONOMICS
• Where airplanes land is SOCIAL STUDIES
• Who made airplanes fly is HISTORY
• Where airplanes fly is GEOGRAPHY
• Flight simulation sites and drones are TECHNOLOGY

And spring is the perfect time to include aviation lessons to your classroom! From paper airplanes contests, STEM school festival activities and Maker Spaces that focus on flight, there is a wealth of opportunities to incorporate many aspects of flight education.

STEM Aviation Challenges

Adding hands-on engineering flight challenges to your STEM and science class or your Community STEM Night is a sure winner. Kids love these and they can be easily be accomplished with very simple materials. Our activities are available individually or as a discounted bundle at our TPT store.

Great Flight Resources

Two of our favorite aviation resources are the Smithsonian's Air and & Space Museum as well as the Civil Air Patrol. We have also received some great materials by contacting local aviation companies and airlines.

Civil Air Patrol

For a one-time $35 membership fee, teachers have access to free curriculum, free STEM kits, awards and grants, and even airplane flights for teachers. This a gold mine of materials!!

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

FREE educational resources that include stories, interviews, lessons, videos, teacher newsletters, and fascinating themes are available at this museum.

Making Flight Connections with Books

Integrate biographies and history into your flight lessons. These are just a few of our favorite books to share with our students.

Fly High!: The Story of Bessie Coleman

by  Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger

Bessie became the first African-American to earn a pilot's license. Famous as a stunt pilot, she paved the way for other women pilots.

Who Were the Wright Brothers?

by  James Buckley Jr.

This is the fascinating story of the two inventors and aviation pioneers who never lost sight of their dream: to fly, and to soar higher!

Up and Away!: How Two Brothers Invented the Hot-Air

by  Jason Henry  
More than a century before the Wright Brothers invented their plane, Joseph and Étienne Montgolfier sent a flying machine into the skies—a hot-air balloon with three animals in the basket. Go up, up, and away with them on their first, magical journey!

Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?

by  Sherri L. Smith

The Tuskegee Airmen were an heroic group of African American military pilots who helped the United States win World War II.
The story shines a light on the lives of these brave men who helped pave the way for the integration of the US armed forces.

The Flying Man: Otto Lilienthal, the World's First Pilot

by  Mike Downs

Here is the little-known history of Otto Lilienthal, a daring man whose more than 2,000 successful flights inspired the Wright Brothers and other aviation pioneers. He was the first person in history to spend this much time in the air, earning the title of the world’s first pilot and paving the way for future aviation pioneers.

We hope you Get Caught Engineering^® and take flight with STEM!

Wendy and Cheryl

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