30 min
Paper Aeroplane Testing Lab
Three designs, one tape measure, and an argument about which flies furthest.
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Map Your Street
Walk your road and draw it properly, to scale, from memory.
An outdoor and indoor activity in two halves, and it changes how they see a street they walk down daily.
What you need
- paper
- pencil
- a clipboard or book to lean on
How to do it
- Walk the length of your street slowly, counting paces between landmarks.
- Note what is there: postbox, tree, corner shop, drain covers.
- At home, draw the map using the pace counts to get the spacing roughly right.
- Add a key and a north arrow.
- Walk it again with the map and correct anything wrong.
Why this is good for them
Converting a walked distance into a drawn one is early scaling, and it is much more concrete than doing the same on paper. Returning to check the map against reality is the step that turns it from drawing into surveying.
Adapting by age
5 to 6 yearsDraw the five things they remember, in the right order.
11 to 12 yearsUse a proper scale, such as one centimetre to ten paces.
Keep it safe
Pavement only, adult present, and stop counting at crossings.
Cleanup tip
Pin the map up somewhere.
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Plant Something and Wait
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Seven lolly sticks, two elastic bands, and a pom-pom that goes further than expected.
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Kitchen roll tubes taped to a wall, and a marble that keeps falling out.
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Tallest Straw Tower
Twenty straws, some tape, and one rule: it has to stand on its own.
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Origami Jumping Frog
Fold it in five minutes, then race it across the table for half an hour.