National Aviation Month Resources with Free Printable List
After hours of research, we have created a list of National Aviation Month Resources.
Next to developing educational materials, I absolutely love researching online to find no-cost or low-cost resources to help our children and teens learn about anything STEM-related.
Many of the aviation month resources below can be used with multiple ages. On some of the listings there are specific notes for younger children or middle/high school grades.
It was so much fun collecting this list and watching several hours of video and viewing many images and documents. I know AI could have compiled a list for me, but conducting a more thorough vetting of sites and links was enjoyable! It’s the thrill of the hunt. 😊
I hope you are inspired to enjoy an aviation study with your children, even if it’s not during November (National Aviation Month).
Also, enjoy the photos shared here. These are ones I took while visiting the National Naval Aviation Museum at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, FL, the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk, NC, and the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, TX.
Here is a photo from the National Naval Air Museum.
In fact, here are some other aviation-related observances:
- April 26 – World Pilot’s Day
- May 26 – National Paper Airplane Day
- August 19 -National Aviation Day, birthday of Orville Wright
- Week of August 18 – National Aviation Week
- October 20 – International Air Traffic Controllers’ Day
- November – National Aviation Month
- December 17 – First powered flight, Wright Brothers
F6F Nightfighter. These were used in the Pacific theater during World War II on the USS Enterprise. They flew night strikes and combat air patrol over Okinawa. Night landings on the carriers were difficult; handheld fluorescent paddles were used to help the pilots land on deck.
The THSS’s Favorite Links on this List of National Aviation Month Resources
My favorite resources on this list are the links on the U.S. Air Force STEM to SKY site and the YouTube videos of John Collins, a world recordholder for paper airplane flight. Links are below:
- STEM to SKY
- On their educator resource page, you can select the grade level that applies, a specific area of science, and the type of resource (PDF, lesson plan, video, game).
The following are probably best for grades 5th-6th and higher. He explains drag, thrust, and lift in an easily understood way and then shares simple folding designs.
- Aerodynamics Explained by a World Record Paper Airplane Designer | Level Up | WIRED
- John Collins folds some paper airplanes How This Guy Folds and Flies World Record Paper Airplanes | WIRED
- How to Fold the ‘Tube’ Paper Airplane | WIRED YouTube
List of aviation-related museums in the United StatesThis is a goldmine of field trips or family vacation ideas! On the museum sites, you will find a wealth of educator resources.
Museum virtual tours:
- The United States Army Aviation museum, vitual tour link is here.
- Take a virtual tour of the National Air and Space Museum
Pictured below is a duplicate of the Lockhed L10-E Amelia Earhart was flying during her final flight.
Lesson and Activity Resources
Aviation Lessons from the National Park Service – On this page, click on the titles. For example, click on Who Were the Wright Brothers?
Levitating Ping Pong Balls lesson and activity
The Shenandoah Valley Airport has a list of resources, including an interesting one to Redbird Virtual STEM Lab.
Straw Rockets and the 3 Laws of Motion
How to Make a Rocket Launch with Alka Seltzer
Check out Redbirds lessons for middle and high school. This is an intro video. If you have a middle or high school student interested in aviation, this might be a good resource!
The FAA, of course, has a great list of aviation resources for all ages. (You just might get lost for hours checking it all out.)
Here are a few of the links on the FAA site, that I thought were interesting:
- Learn the parts of an airplane PDF K-12_Main_Parts_of_an_Airplane.pdf
- Aviation science activities for elementary grades – this looks like an older PDF, but it does have lots of hands-on ideas.
- There are several excellent options for middle school and high school aviation curriculum at this link.
This is a full-scale replica of the DN1 giant airship which was originally built in Pensacola. These were built after WW I. The Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation in Akron, Ohio, built some of these. Other airships used by the Navy were built in Great Britain and Germany. Germany delivered one to the US in 1924. The U.S. Navy blimps were taken out of service during the 1960s.
Lesson and Curriculum PDFs
Aeronautics Aviation Guide from NASA – PDF. Use with grades 7-12.
Aviation Mini-Course for Grades 2-5 from the Experimental Aircraft Association – PDF. Covers The Four Forces of Flight 2. Thrust 3. Weight 4. Drag 5. Lift 6. The Main Parts of a Plane 7. Business Aviation: An Extension of General Aviation 8. Additional Aviation Projects 9. Aviation Terms
What is an Aerospace Engineer from EngineerKids.org – Information and a fun “Dock a Spaceship” activity (opens a PDF) that is easy and low-cost.
Lessons from the National Museum of the Pacific War (PDF). We have visited this museum in Fredericksburg, TX, and it is phenomenal. If you are in the area and studying World War II, this is definitely worth a visit.
Fun with Bernoulli lesson and activity from TeachEngeering.org
May the Force Be With You from TeachEngineering.org
Coloring pages from the MAPS Museum in North Canton, Ohio.
Coloring Pages
Airplane coloring pages from NASA
Coloring pages from the MAPS Museum in North Canton, Ohio. (for older students)
Videos
The Brilliant Engineering of First Flight, video from Sabin Engineering
How Bees Influence Aviation from PBS – 28-minute video
How Do Airplanes Fly – from MinutePhysics on YouTube
How Do Airplanes Actually Fly – TedTalk
Simple explanation of how helicopter controls work – from PBS – video
The History of Airline Food from the National Air and Space Museum(YouTube)
Taking Flight – Full episode of The Magic School Bus – YouTube
Caitie’s Classroom – Field Trip to Fly in an Airplane (younger students)
How Do Airplanes Work – for younger students
Online Games
- This looks like it would be for elementary, but older students might enjoy it. This is from the National Air and Space Museum. There is a gears game that definitely looks like older students might enjoy it 😊 Pilot Pals | Pioneers of Flight (Parents, it does ask them to input their name, but there is a SKIP button.)
- Two paper airplane games from Engineering.com. There are other games, so if gaming is a concern, you might want to skip this link.
Biographies
- Wright Brothers biography from CBS Sunday Morning YouTube
- The Wright Brothers – from Minute History on YouTube
- LouisBleriot
- Interview with Joe Wilding, a co-founder of Boom Supersonic (Which is building a very large facility in our area – Greensboro, NC.)
- Who Were the Tuskeegee Airmen? (older students) – History Channel on YouTube
- Purdue Library of Amelia Earhart Collection
- Bessie Coleman
- Ruth Law Thrills a Nation – a Reading Rainbow title
- WWII female pilot tells her story – from atozstorytellers on YouTube
- Harriet Quimby
- Jennifer Grieves interview – She was the first female pilot of Marine One
- Alys McKey Bryant and Bernetta Miller
- 5 American Aviators Who Shaped How We Fly from Redbird Flight
- 51 Heroes and Heroines in Aviation History
National Park websites that have videos, online galleries, etc., to enrich your aviation study:
A replica of the Wright Brother’s Plane at the Write Brothers Memorial in NC
Some of the tools used by the Wright Brothers
One of the hills used by the Wright Brothers to launch their flights. The hill is lot higher once you get close and climb it!
- Wright Brothers National Memorial. Living in NC, we have visited this site on several occasions. An interesting, fun fact: the area in which the memorial is located is also home to the largest population of black bears in the world. If you visit, be sure to check out the NC Aquarium in Manteo. Also, head north to learn about the wild horses around Corolla. This area of North Carolina is also where the largest population of Tundra Swans migrates each winter.
- Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama
- Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park
- National Historic Landmarks related to aviation in and around Dayton, Ohio.
- Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
- First Transpolar Flight from Fort Vancouver
- Did you know the National Park System has an aviation program and uses planes in their operations?
If you have a child who is extremely interested in aviation and wants to one day earn a pilot’s license, check out the Young Eagles website. Their mission is to introduce and inspire kids in the world of aviation. Free Young Eagles Flights | EAA
Request the Aviation History Resource List
We have researched and reviewed over 60 aviation-related resources to help you plan an engaging aviation study with your children or class. We know this is not an exhaustive list, but it does provide a variety of options – entire lesson plans, activity ideas, PDFs, videos, coloring pages, and even a few online games. We have also included resources for varying grade levels.
I hold a master’s degree in child development and early education and am working on a post-baccalaureate in biology. I spent 15 years working for a biotechnology company developing IT systems in DNA testing laboratories across the US. I taught K4 in a private school, homeschooled my children, and have taught on the mission field in southern Asia. For 4 years, I served on our state’s FIRST Lego League tournament Board and served as the Judging Director. I own thehomeschoolscientist and also write a regular science column for Homeschooling Today Magazine. You’ll also find my writings on the CTCMath blog. Through this site, I have authored over 50 math and science resources.