Talking to the kids in school

[cjensen]

Doug's front page kindergarden story prompted me to post this...

Like Doug's story, I volunteer each year to read an airplane book at one of our elementary schools on National Read Across America Day, or Dr. Seuss Day. I started doing this four years ago, and they ask me to come back each year, and apparently many of the classes ask if "the guy that wears the 'Cat in the Hat' hat that flies airplanes" is coming to read to us this year???

This year I read to a third gade class, and the whole class just lit up and listened to the whole book-The ABC Airplane Book.

The questions afterward would've lasted for hours if the teacher didn't have a time schedule to keep. Some of the questions I remember are "How fast have you flown?" "How high" have you flown?" How big is the airplane you fly?" How many have you flown?" "Do you have any dogs?" and "Are you married?"

If you have a chance to do this, please take it. The kids love it, and you may end up being the one who inspired a child to be a pilot one day!

[rv8ch]

Really great, Chad! Imagine the benefit to all of us if all of us could just manage to volunteer a couple of hours a year helping out kids. Congrats!

[pgroell]

Hello all,

In the last two years I took a small part in two projects set up by two different teachers for 8-10 years old. (don't remember wich grade it is in the US). I got involved not because of the building of my RV-7 but because I fly some big Airbuses around the world as my job.

The first project was with a teacher nuts about science, and she had decided that the entire year all the activities (math, grammar, science....) would be in some relation with the sky. So the kids wrote poetry about the sky, the stars, the history part was about flying, the math involved travels, speeds, timetables...
They had prepared some questions about my job, and what should have lasted one hour had me speaking to them for about two and a half. (I must admit some questions were asked more than once).
Then they visited the Air and Space museum in Le Bourget, I took them to my local airport where they visited the control tower and the flying club.
At the airport I had them look for differences in shapes, materials... We hade some fun wiggling the controls to make some basic aerodynamic discoveries.
They build some styrofoam models that they made fly at a contest with other schools, looking which one flew the farthest, the longest, the most elegantly..
At the end of the school year I got an invitation to see the big expo with all their work, and took home a CD they had partly developped during there computer lessons.


The second class did work on aviation during the first quarter of their school year and they too grilled me with questions, they also went to the airport and the museum. This class was a bit special as there was an autistic little boy, very afraid of noises and the teacher had some apprehension about getting him to the airport. It was not a problem at all; I think he stayed at my side during the whole part of the afternoon and asked some very clever questions.
This was another good experience.
Pascal

PS : The most stunning question I got was "Did you ever die in a crash?"

[Wes Hays]

Originally Posted by rv8ch

Really great, Chad! Imagine the benefit to all of us if all of us could just manage to volunteer a couple of hours a year helping out kids. Congrats!

Thanks Guys!!! Being an old retired school superintendent, you have no idea how much those teachers and students appreciate your time and efforts. Please allow me to express my appreciation for your service to our children. In addition to every thing else the learn, you bring the big "R" in to the classroom. (Revelancy).

When I was building my plane, the shop was almost across the street from the elementary. The teachers would walk their kids down, and we would give demonstrations on how their math, science, reading, and all the other stuff they have to do relates to building an airplane. Measuring, reading and interpreting instructions, figuring angles, the science of flight, and on and on. We also gave them some riveting, dimpling, bending and cutting sheetmetal, etx. demos. And yes. The endless questions. I wish I had kept a log. I could have written a book.

So hang in there. Take the time if you can. We really appreciate your efforts.

[DGlaeser]

When my youngest son was in 5th grade, I volunteered to help out with 'rocket day' in his class. His teacher has the kids build model rockets as part of the science curriculum and then picks a day to launch them at a nearby field.
My son had told his teacher that I am a pilot, and that I flew model planes as well, so he asked me if I would bring a model to class and talk to the kids about how airplanes fly. He had to twist my arm of course but I did it. I also showed them how to test their rockets for stability.
I had so much fun, that I've been doing this every year since (and that son is now a Junior in college ). Every year, this teacher calls and asks if I'm still interested in helping out on 'rocket day', and I tell him if he doesn't call me, I'll start calling him!
Last year, instead of bringing a model, I brought in the rudder for my RV7A, and a bunch of pictures showing my build progress, and this year I plan to do it again (this is usually done in the spring). Next year I'll show them pictures of my flying plane... (and offer them Young Eagle rides).

[rv7boy]

When my daughter was in 3rd grade (apx. 20 years ago!!!) her class had scheduled a trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center which is near NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. I had just gone to work as an Engineer at NASA, and my daughter asked me to go with the group. I took the day off from work and had a great time with the kids. But some of them were absolutely convinced that I was an Astronaut! Of course that was when I had dark hair and was 30 pounds lighter.
I have since gotten involved in teaching some classes on Aeronautics at the elementary school level which is an activity I thoroughly enjoy.
I hope many of you look for opportunities to share your aviation passion with students. It is a rewarding experience.
Thanks Doug, and others, for helping educate the kids.
Don

[Tom Maxwell]

I am a middle school teacher teaching 7th grade math. Without sounding too negative, the biggest problem I face in middle school is apathetic minds. Yes it is part of the whole puberty thing but a lot of kids today see no use in school, especially science and math, and they can't begin to imagine what is available to them if they would just try. My mantra with them is, "The future belongs to those who will, not to those who can."

Anyway, we talk about airplanes a great deal. I try to work in a little navigation when we talk about angles and plotting on a coordinate plane and we work in a little physics when we talk about integers and formulas. A while back Sporty's sent out some Cessna glass panel cockpit posters. I wrote them and they sent be a bunch of them (Thank-you Sporty's) so I gave them to my students and put one on the wall. I have all of the RV pictures from last years Van's calendar on the wall. Not all but many of the kids get excited about this real world stuff and knowing someone who actually does this stuff. I ask them, "Can anyone here fly an airplane?" Of course they respond with, "No!" Then I say, "Yes, everyone here can fly an airplane, you just haven't done it yet."

Anyway, my goal is to start an after school aviation club. I am trying to get someone to help us get some PCs and copies of MS Flight Simulator so we can capitalize on the video craze. I want to run it like a ground school with the fun of Flight Simulator mixed in. I see us taking some trips to an airport control tower and to the control center. And hopefully I can arrange some Young Eagles rides for them.

Right now I am looking for sponsors for the club. I need to purchase the PCs and software myself as the district won't pay for them. I wrote to a couple of ground school course providers asking for donations and they declined. If anyone wants to donate to the project, I would be happy to accept. Do it for the kids!

By the way, if anyone has any old Houston sectionals that are in good shape I would appreciate it if you would donate them to me for use in our ground school. The kids love looking at them, finding the location of the school and landmarks around the area. We can always use a few more.

Contact me off line if you're interested in helping out or work for someone who has educational grants.

Thanks! Yes the kids eat this stuff up! And you will never feel more frustrated or more gratified than when working with kids.

[airguy]

I'm a little warped in the head, and I run around with a bunch of guys that like to fly hot-air balloons. I've been flying and crewing hot-air for about 7 years now - lot's of fun - and one of the biggest rallies we go to every year is the Big Bend Balloon Bash in Alpine, TX. Most of the pilots come in a day early (Thursday) and pick local schools within a few hours drive to visit on Friday. We typically get the kids into a large group and talk about hot air balloons, how they work, why we like to fly them etc etc. Weather permitting (and we've had very good luck with this so far) we put the balloon up in the schoolyard or football stadium so they can all get a good up-close and personal look at the entire setup. We've occasionally launched from that position so the kids can see us depart.

Without fail, we get a large number of awestruck faces and the inevitable string of questions, and the teachers are always very happy to see us come back. I remember one particular occasion where we gave our pilot a wireless mike and 600 kids in a stadium in Ft. Stockton, he wouldn't shut up until we (the crew) had the balloon stood up and hot and it was time for him to board it and fly. It's a wonderful feeling to see the impact you have on the kids...

Greg - ground crew for "Too Much Fun" balloon team