Making Paper Airplanes
Episode # 142. Paper Plane
In a flat, square box, the children give the Storypeople a sheet of paper that folds itself into a paper airplane. Grandmamma tries to fly the plane, but when she lets it go with the point down, it doesn’t fly very far. Mr. Man points up, throws hard, and the plane soars. Brother, Sister, and Grandpappa join them as they tire themselves out chasing the flying plane. So the children give them a plane big enough to ride in. They fly away.

Directions
Show your child how to fold paper to make paper airplanes. In addition to making planes from different kinds of paper, you might try some variations in folding. Children who are too young to make planes themselves can help decorate the planes you make.

Before attempting a “test flight”, encourage your child to predict how well the plane will fly. Help your child notice the features of the ones that work well. Are they from heavy paper or light paper? Are the wings thin or wide, tapered or straight? Invent contests for the planes. Which ones can fly the longest or in the straightest line? Which ones can do loops?

Together with your child, make up a story about the planes. Who is in the plane? Are they a pilot or a passenger? Where are they going? What will they do when they get there? Etc.

Talk About It
While viewing the Paper Plane episode, you might start a conversation by asking your child: “If you could fly in a paper plane like the Storypeople, where would you go?”

As you talk about the things on screen, you can help expand your child’s vocabulary by alternating the words you use with their synonyms. In the Paper Plane episode you might say that the Storypeople are flying, soaring, or gliding. You might also use words related to airplanes, such as wing, pilot or passenger.