Science in Action: Copters

Plants have many ways to disperse their seeds to ensure survival.

This month, fifth-grade students observed the movement of falling maple seeds as they spun through the air. This allows the seeds to be blown farther from the parent tree.

Students made a scientific model of the seeds, which we called copters, to study how different variables affect the length of time a copter stays in the air. Students learned about the meaning of variables and how to design an experiment with a fair test by changing only one variable at a time. Variables that could be tested include wing width, stem length, and copter weight. 

If you want to try a copter test at home, check out our video below.