Finding the POSSIBLE in Impossible: Flight of the Bumblebee

For many years, scientists believed that bumblebee flight was aerodynamically impossible. Somehow, despite this “impossibility,” bees are great at getting around in the air! Over half a decade of scientific inquiry has created a better understanding of how the quick flapping of wings paired with a twist on the upstroke creates enough lift for a bee remain airborne. The scientific process leading to a better understanding of the flight of the bumblebee is a perfect example of how science works in the “real world.”

People figured out how something that was once thought to be impossible works. This is truly how technology moves forward! This short video can help your students see how bee flight works in super slow motion.

In her companion column, Joann introduces the study of bees and the many great cross-curricular activities on the topic that are part of the Gateway. The unique behaviors and communication in beehives is fascinating and can lead to all kinds of activities. We will be featuring a variety of resources about all things “bee” this week on our Facebook and Twitter pages. If you don’t follow us yet on these social networks, please do. I think you will be surprised with how well some of these resources can enhance your current curriculum.

Since Joann’s featured resources pretty much cover the gamut of the topics you can introduce in the guise of a study of bees, I will dedicate the rest of my column to the study of flight. Flight principles can be made more accessible to students when they are introduced within the study of honeybees.

The fact that ANYTHING can fly through the air still continues to amaze me, even though I have studied enough physics to receive my minor in the subject. I live right by an air force base and I see planes coming and going every day, so you would think I would know a little about flight. Still, every time I see a giant grey airplane overhead, I am astounded that it doesn’t just fall right out of the sky on top of me! I think many students share my awe and disbelief about flight, and I think this awe and disbelief will serve to keep these students interested and engaged in lessons built around the topic of flight.

A good understanding of how bees fly can inspire future flight technologies that allow aircraft to hover better than helicopters and carry different types of loads than current aircraft. Before students can fully understand how bees flight so they can grow up to invent new flight technologies, they will need to grasp the underlying principles of flight. One good introduction to flight comes from the Smithsonian Institution. In their three-part lesson, students will learn How Things Fly. These lessons use hands-on experimentation to discover the four forces of flight, how lift works, and how different wing designs can affect flight.

One NASA resource, The Case of the Challenging Flight, uses a NASA SciFiles episode (available free online) to teach similar basic concepts of flight. The plot of the show and the lesson involves a contest for building an egg-carton plane. I really like how this resource includes a nicely planned project-based learning component. A teacher can easily implement this project into the classroom. This might be a good introduction to using project-based learning techniques, since a lot of the groundwork has already been done for you! The same provider also has a neat demonstration of Bernoulli’s Principle (Funnel Fun), showing students why things are able to fly.

Once students have a basic understanding of flight, they are ready to experiment with their own aircraft. There are many great hands-on activities you can do to reinforce the concepts of aircraft design and flight in your classroom. Students are often inspired by friendly rivalry and competition, so why not let them design their own planes for a competition? Flight Fair is an example of a paper airplane competition you can easily incorporate into your class. This can be a fun event that needs minimal planning and supplies. I did a competition like this in seventh grade, and I remember it to this day. If your students are prepared to work with something more substantial than paper, try this middle school activity for building Balsa Wood Gliders.

Whether or not the flight of a bumblebee or flight in general strikes your fancy, I hope Joann and I have chosen something this week that you will be able to use in your classroom. I hope the resources you choose will allow your students to spread their wings and fly!