Copter Engineering can be a fun science activity for people of all ages. We provide these generalizations as guidelines about what children at different ages might do during Copter Engineering explorations at the Discovery Center’s Experiment Station, in the kitchen at home, or at school. Listed below are science and technology process skills that children may be practicing during their explorations. Please remember: each child develops at a different rate, so some children in each age group may be able to do some of the things described in the age group before or after their own.
How might older children explore Copter Engineering

Scaffold
Older children and adults can help young children get the most of this activity by helping children make their own copters, instead of making copters for them.
Children benefit most from creative activities when they are allowed to complete as many of the steps in the process as possible.
Older children and adults can play a vital role in helping children to stop and consider the copters they design and the experiments they conduct.
Helping Children Design and Test Copters
Ask children to identify some differences between two copters they make - differences might be found in copter size, wing shape, the number of paperclips, or other features.
Help children with cutting and folding. Adults can help young children develop their folding skills by doing a loose fold for them and asking them to press down on the crease. Or, adults can fold one copter wing, and children can use this as a model for folding the other wing.
Help children with paper clipping. If a child is just learning how to use a paper clip, have the child hold the paper and watch while you add the clip. An adult can also offer to hold the paper for the child while he or she maneuvers the paper clip. Some kids might be able to learn how to use a paper clip if an adult demonstrates, and then removes the paper clip so that the child can try.
When testing the copters, encourage children to conduct multiple trials (drop the same copter more than once to see if it behaves the same way each time)and offer them challenges
Copter Challenges
Can you make a copter that spins more quickly?
Can you make a copter that spins more slowly?
Can you make your copter spin in a different direction?
What else can you change about your copter to change the way it spins?