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Juvenile Nonfiction - Transportation
- Aviation; Science & Technology - Aeronautics,
Astronautics & Space; Movie or Television Tie-In
| Random House Books for Young Readers | Hardcover
| September 2007 | $7.99 | 978-0-375-84321-1 (0-375-84321-3)
|
Captain Grover and his
furry friend, Elmo, are at the helm for this fun and
fact-filled introduction to the fascinating world of
flight and flying machines. Neatly labeled graphics,
sticky-note asides, and bits of Twiddlebug Trivia invite
conversation and further investigation, and readers
can even help Grover with his homework and "extra credit"
fun!
Click to learn how
you can incorporate
this title into your classroom curriculum:
Math/Reasoning/Game
|
Countdown!
Use your fingers, flannel-board pieces, or pictures
of aircrafts you’ve found or made yourself to
count down from 5 to 0 as you get ready to blast off.
You could even create aircraft hats or costumes for
5 children and produce a mini-play!
Five shiny spacecraft
All set to soar
One has liftoff
Then there are four
Four shiny spacecraft
Quite a sight to see
One has liftoff
Then there are three
Three shiny spacecraft
Fire their rockets, too
One has liftoff
Then there are two
Two shiny spacecraft
Aimed toward the sun
One has lift off
Then there is one
One shiny spacecraft
His trip has not begun
But when his rocket helps him launch
Then there are none!
Who Has Seen the Wind?
by Christina Rossetti
Lead the group in a dramatic choral reading of this
classic poem that describes the power of air movement,
which Professor Grover and Captain Elmo tell us is part
of what lets airplanes fly! Pretend to be the tree,
the leaves, and the wind.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing thro’.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.
Star Light
Enjoy a recitation of this old favorite and wish upon
a star. Just imagine how many stars an astronaut can
see when he is aloft in his spacecraft! What do you
think an astronaut might wish for?
Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight
I’m A Little Airplane
This one’s sung to the tune of “I’m
a Little Teapot.” Ask the children to dream up
actions to accompany this one; they’ll have lots
of fun—but watch out for unusual flight patterns!
I’m a little airplane
I can fly
Here is my throttle
Give me a try
When my engine’s revved up
Off I’ll fly
Down the runway
Up to the sky
Bend and Stretch
Remember this one? Who can bend lowest? Who can stretch
highest?
Bend and stretch,
Reach for the stars
There goes Jupiter
Here comes Mars
Bend and stretch
Reach for the sky
Stand on tippy toes
Oh! So high!
Climb Aboard!
Another one for dramatic fun, sung to the tune of “The
Itsy Bitsy Spider”!
Climb aboard the spacecraft
(pretend to climb aboard)
We’re going to the moon!
(point to the moon)
Is everybody ready?
(look around and ask your fellow travelers)
We’re going to blast off soon!
(Point to an imaginary watch on your wrist)
Be sure your space suit’s
fastened
(mime putting on helmets and suits)
And buckle up real tight
(act out buckling restraining straps)
Are you ready for the countdown?
(ask your fellow travelers)
Let’s count it down just right:
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
(with each count, crouch down until you are as low
as you can go)
Blast off!
(Jump!)
Paper Plane Races
Have the children create simple paper airplanes (use
the pattern on p. 22 or find many easy directions online).
Decorate freely. Then have “races” to see
whose plane flies farthest. Measure distances and make
a chart or graph comparing the planes’ flying
prowess. Does a paper clip added to the nose of the
plane make a difference? How about folding the wings
just a bit differently? Fly your planes outdoors on
a breezy day to get an idea of how a glider flies.
See You Later, Aviator!
Can you remember the names of the aviators you read
about with Professor Grover?
See if you can match the correct first and last names.
We’ve done the first one for you!
| Orville |
Jemison |
| Charles |
Earhart |
| Grover |
Armstrong |
| Wilbur |
Worm |
| Slimey |
Lindbergh |
| Neil |
Wright |
| Amelia |
Monster |
| Mae |
Wright |
Aircraft Memory Game
A great game to play alone or with a friend!
Create a set of Memory game cards by pasting pictures
of aircraft (you can draw them, print them from an online
source, or cut them from magazines) to index cards.
You should make 2 of each kind of card (e.g., 2 jet
cards, 2 blimp cards, 2 spacecraft cards, 2 helicopter
cards, and so on).
Shuffle the cards and lay them facedown in a square
on the table or floor. Each child takes a turn to select
two of the cards, turning them faceup and hoping to
find a match. Find a match? You keep the cards! No match?
Replace the cards and let the next child have a turn.
The player who finds the most pairs is the winner!
Sesame Subjects Word Search
Aircraft pilots and astronauts have to have good eyesight
and be very observant. Look carefully! Can you find
these 8 important words hidden in this puzzle?
flight,
pilot, landing, astronaut, fuel, engine, takeoff, speed
A
L S D L H U N
S
F P I L O T A
T
D E F A L U F
R
O E U N I T N
O
L D E D R L A
N
O F L I G H T
A
L I E N L H E
U
T E N G I N E
T
A K E O F F G
A
L S
D L H U N
S
F P
I L O T A
T
D E
F A L
U F
R
O E
U N
I T N
O
L D
E D
R L A
N
O F
L I G H T
A
L I E
N L
H E
U
T
E N G I N E
T
A K E O F F G
Banana Aircraft
Slice a little bit from the long side of a peeled banana
so that it will lie flat on a plate. Lay rectangular
cookies (like graham crackers or sugar wafers) on top
for the wings and a shorter piece at the end of your
plane for the tail. Use peanut butter, marshmallow fluff,
or icing as glue for the crackers and add small candies,
nuts, or raisins for windows and doors. Yum!
Coloring pages
Visit Coloring
Book Fun online for lots of great aircraft pictures
to print and color.
Make a Pinwheel
Kids will better understand how forward motion makes
air work to lift a plane when they observe the movement
of a pinwheel they’ve made themselves! You’ll
need paper, scissors, new pencils (unsharpened) with
erasers, and push pins or map pins.
1. Fold a square sheet of paper in half, at a diagonal.
2. Open it and fold again along the opposite diagonal.
3. Cut along the folds, but only halfway to the center
of the paper.
4. Gather the right-hand corner of each segment to the
center. Don’t make folds! You may need to use
tape to keep the corners in place.
5. Push a pin through the gathered papers to attach
the pinwheel to the side of the pencil eraser.
6. Blow on your pinwheel to make sure it can turn. Loosen
the pin if necessary.
7. Now take your pinwheel into an open area and run
with it. The faster you run, the faster the pinwheel
turns. That’s the magic of airpower!
National Aviation Day
National Aviation Day was created by proclamation of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. It’s
a day that honors the accomplishments of Orville and
Wilbur Wright and other early aviation and space pioneers.
It is celebrated on August 19th, which is the birthday
of Orville Wright. Be sure to celebrate the holiday
with your class. Happy flying!
National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
News, links, mission schedules, and NASA for kids.
Metropolitan
Washington Airport Authority
Learn about MWAA and the airports that serve our Nation’s
capital and create a Travel Activities Booklet for your
next plane trip.
Philadelphia
International Airport
Young flight enthusiasts will find educational tools,
printable games and activities, as well as a list of
books to learn more about the exciting world of aviation.
Air and Space Museums to Visit
See if you live close enough to one of these wonderful
museums to plan a visit. If not, take a trip online
to see what they’re all about!
U.S.
Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama
Pima
Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona
Naval
Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida
Air
Force Museum at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
in Columbus, Ohio
Smithsonian
Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Activities prepared by Kathy Krasniewicz,
Youth Services Librarian, Perrot Memorial Library, Old
Greenwich, CT. |
