Our geckos are learning about air and its properties. They are learning to explore and inquire about the properties of air. Children have an innate ability to learn through the iterative process. They are natural born engineers and scientists.

Our geckos had an experience of being scientist today when participated in aerodynamic day and made their own objects and tested their movement.

Aerodynamics is the way air moves around things. The rules of aerodynamics explain how an airplane is able to fly. Anything that moves through air reacts to aerodynamics. A rocket blasting off the launch pad and a kite in the sky react to aerodynamics. Aerodynamics even acts on cars, since air flows around cars. An example of a study of aerodynamics is to determine the potential speed of a vehicle based on the way its shape will move through air. Everything moving through the air (including airplanes, rockets, and birds) is affected by aerodynamics. Aerodynamics is the study of how air moves around a solid object. The more aerodynamic a flying object is, the better it will fly.

The four forces of flight are lift, weight, thrust and drag. These forces make an object move up and down, and faster or slower. How much of each force there is changes how the object moves through the air. Today our geckos made pinwheel, paper aeroplanes, windsocks and paper bag parachute and estimated their movement in relation to the forces. This activity gave them a clear idea of how air helps in moving the things. Our geckos participated in aerodynamic day very enthusiastically and understood the concept through this wonderful hand on activity.

 

Some highlights: