Tongue Depressor Airplane Crafts
Crafts are a practical solution to boredom on a rainy or snowy day, especially for children. A number of craft ideas revolve around the use of tongue depressors. These long, flat, wooden sticks have a lot of surface area for decorations. One particularly exciting tongue depressor craft is constructing an airplane. Many airplane variations can occur with some imagination and crafting accessories.
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Preschool Airplane Craft
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Preschoolers need hands-on experiences for developing hand-eye coordination. Caregivers can allow the preschoolers to glue two depressors together, forming the letter "T." After the glue has dried, caregivers can offer various decorations, such as beads and small puff balls, for building a unique airplane creation. Children can color the depressors as well. Parents or teachers also have the option of streamlining the process by stapling the depressors together themselves, rather than having the children glue them. This eliminates the glue drying time.
Elementary Airplane Craft
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Elementary school children can be entertained by this craft as well by altering the decorations. Allow the children to glue or staple the two depressors together into a "T" formation. Ask the children to glue on three buttons along the airplane's length, forming the landing gear wheels. Children can also add a pilot to the top of the plane by crafting a clay person. Allow the children to glue the clay pilot to the airplane's top area, slightly behind the wings. Also, children can create the propeller from paper and glue it to the airplane's nose.
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Alternative Airplane Craft
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An alternative to the "T" formation is creating a flying plane with five tongue depressors. Ask the children to hold three depressors by grasping them at one tip in a stacked formation. The depressors should be flared out, much like holding three playing cards. Secure the three depressors by sliding two depressors horizontally in between the three depressor lengths. One horizontal depressor should reside in the middle of the three flared depressors, whereas the other horizontal depressor should secure the very top portion of the three depressors. Children can throw this airplane like a disk. If the formation breaks apart as it hits the ground, the children can easily reconstruct the configuration for another flying turn.
Considerations
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The alternative airplane craft should not be decorated. This airplane is more of a functional craft than a decorative type. Make sure there is enough flying space for the alternative airplane, such as at an open park area.
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References
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