Hovering Helicopters
To the rescue on land or sea! Put out the fire! Deliver heavy cargo! Design a 3-D model helicopter and discover how they fly.
1. Helicopters were first designed in the 1930s for military use. They were widely used for the first time in the Korean War. Flying a helicopter takes hours of training and great skill.
2. Have you noticed that helicopters can fly forward, backward, sideways, straight up, and straight down? They can also hover and stop in mid air. Find out more about their unique maneuvering capabilities. Look at pictures and view films to learn about how helicopters fly. Read about the lifting force provided by the main rotor. Why is the tail rotor important to keep the helicopter flying straight?
3. What kind of helicopter model would you like to make? What work will it do? Use your imagination along with these ideas to make a realistic replica.
4. Crumple aluminum foil to create an armature (lightweight form). Shape the foil into a helicopter body, tail boom, and drive shaft for the main rotor.
5. Cover the foil with a layer of brightly colored Crayola® Model Magic. Use two or three colors if you wish. Mix them to create new hues. Blend in white Model Magic for tints. Air-dry the helicopter at least 24 hours.
6. On white paper, use Crayola Twistables to draw and color your helicopter’s main rotor and tail rotor. Use Crayola Scissors to cut them out. Push a toothpick through the main rotor. Attach it to the drive shaft. Push another toothpick through the tail rotor and attach it to the end of tail boom.
7. Draw and cut out a cockpit. Show yourself as pilot! Use Crayola School Glue to attach the cockpit to the front of your helicopter. Air-dry your construction.
8. Twist together two or three chenille sticks to create sturdy landing skids. Insert them into the bottom of the helicopter. Glue them to the body of the helicopter. Lay the helicopter on its side while it air-dries.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—
- Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
- Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
- Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
- The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
- Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
- Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
- Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.
Wood—By its nature, wood is rough and may contain splinters or sharp points
- Helicopters transport people, plasma and medicines, fight fires, and mend fences. They also serve as ambulances, cranes, control traffic and animals. In addition, they are valued for mail service, observation, search and rescue, and aerial photography. Create an environment that reflects the work done by your helicopter. Will it hover over a raging forest fire? Will it be poised above the water, ready to snatch victims from a boating accident? Will it deliver mail to a lonely outpost? Prepare a short verbal or written report to accompany your diorama. Make a paper helicopter. Experiment to make it stay aloft longer.
- Make a whole fleet of helicopters! Have time-aloft contests with your friends.
- Demonstrate your knowledge of the important parts of the helicopter. Use sticky labels to designate parts of the helicopter such as the cockpit, drive shaft, and tail boom.
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