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Ruth Law Thrills A Nation

Language: English

This true story describes the record-breaking flight of a daring woman pilot, Ruth Law, from Chicago to New York in 1916. LeVar takes viewers on a trip through time from the barnstorming days and flying machines of Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to get her pilot’s license, to modern aviation machines and female pilots. Viewers will also see a teenage pilot who takes to the air for the first time, following in the footsteps of the great women who went before her.

Here are activities to do after watching this episode:

Paper Planes

You and your children can make paper airplanes to have fun and experiment with.

  • For each plane you will need an 8 ½ x 11- inch sheet of paper.
  • Fold the paper in half lengthwise.
  • Fold down the top two corners to meet at the center fold.
  • Fold down the sides again, meeting at the center fold.
  • Fold the sides in one more time.
  • Fold the plane in half, open, and hold the bottom edge to fly.

Take your planes outdoors and try flying them. Try adding paperclips to the planes at the ends of wings, the tail, and the nose. Does it change how the plane flies? Encourage your children to experiment with different folds and using the paperclips in various positions. Most importantly, have fun!

  

Fly Away

Provide your children with crayons and drawing paper. Have them imagine what your home and neighborhood would look like if they were flying overhead from an airplane or hot-air balloon. Then have them draw a picture to show what they think they would see below.

Parachutes

You will need:

  • a square of tissue paper
  • crayons
  • scissors
  • string
  • tape
  • paper clips

For each parachute:

  1. Cut a six-inch square of tissue paper.
  2. Have your child use crayons to color a design on it.
  3. Cut four pieces of string, about 8 inches long, and tape a piece of string to each corner of the tissue paper.
  4. Bring all four pieces of string together in the center and tie a knot. MAKE SURE THE TAPE IS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TISSUE PAPER.
  5. Hook a paper clip to the knot.
  6. Have your child toss the parachute up into the air and see what happens.

Try this: Have your child discover what happens if you use a larger sheet of tissue paper, add more paper clips to the knot, or cut a hole in the top of the tissue paper.

Check out some of these books on your
next trip to the library:

  • Plane Song by Diane Siebert
  • Flight: The Journey Of Charles Lindbergh by Robert Burleigh
  • Amelia’s Fantastic Flight by Rose Bursik

READING RAINBOW has a resource library that includes teacher guide materials as well as reading programs for use in the public libraries. You can download these resources from GPN at:
www.gpnresources.com

If you would like more information about READING RAINBOW or if you would like to learn more about other educational products please visit the GPN web site.

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