Flight

Person, Social and Emotional:

Discuss the children’s own experiences with flying. Find out how it made them feel, what they liked and disliked. Who they went with and where they were going. Also discuss whether the children have a parent who travels for work.

Communication and Language

Discuss the different types of flight modes we have, for example aeroplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, airships, etc. And discuss times they may have been on one, seen one in the sky or perhaps been in one on the ground at an event. 

Physical Development

Making paper aeroplanes or handling made paper aeroplanes. The children can use force to launch them outside promoting both fine and gross motor skills, hand eye coordination and balance.  We can also replicate aeroplane motion by using our arms.

Literacy

Look at books to show us the different types of flight modes. This will help put a picture in the children’s minds of certain flight modes they may not have seen before, for example blimps. Have pictures with the name of different flight modes around pre-school and use them as reference when discussing.

Mathematics

Using recourses in the pre-school, gather flight modes together and encourage the children to count the items, count wings, propellers etc. Encourage the children to place the toys in order of size, shape and category.

Understanding the World

Discuss how aeroplanes fly, what keeps them in the sky, and how some types of air transport differ, such as powered aeroplanes (jet and propeller), gliders and hot air balloons.

Expressive Art and Design

Using shapes make picture of a hot air balloon. Make paper aeroplanes. Junk modelling to make aeroplanes, helicopters or hot air balloons.

Focused Vocabulary

Helicopter, Aeroplane, Fly, Flight, Propeller, Jet, Engine, Glide, Balloon.