Summer Schooling: Women in Aviation
Whether your summer schooling means continuing structured lessons through the season, or relaxing the schedule and taking advantage of opportunities as they come, homeschoolers know that a summer break doesn’t mean taking a break from learning! There are tons of ways to build a lesson around an everyday observation. A fun way to introduce a history lesson is by looking at anniversaries of historical events. July 24 is Amelia Earhart day; what better time to explore aviation through its female historical players? Add some STEM activities by exploring the mechanics of simple paper airplanes and staging competitions or experiments out in the sunshine!
This five-part Amelia Earhart unit study is based on the book I Am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer. It’s filled with aviator-themed crafts, snacks, activities, and writing prompts for preschool and kindergarten-aged children.
This downloadable Amelia Earhart activity booklet (pdf) features detailed coloring pages, word seeks and games, codes, and much more to engage elementary-aged students in a wide variety of topics.
Follow Amelia Earhart’s journeys with these downloadable maps (pdf) detailing her various solo flights and her attempted circumnavigation route.
This guide from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum details all of the women who are or have been featured in the museum’s exhibits, including Bessie Coleman, the first African American pilot; Suzanne Asbury-Oliver, the only professional female skywriter in the world; Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the first U.S. female to earn a glider pilot’s license; and many more. Check out these paper airplane experiments from Rainy Day Mum, and challenge students of all ages to develop the faster, farthest-flying, and most accurate planes. A beautiful sunny afternoon provides the perfect setting for this creative summer-schooling lesson.
