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Maple seeds and helicopters

Experiments

Have you ever seen maple seeds (helicopters) floating through the air? Perhaps you have picked them up off the ground and thrown them into the sky! Why is it that they float so beautifully? And have you ever taken a close look at the unusual shape of these seeds?

Because of their propeller shape, maple seeds float through the air like a helicopter. The wind carries them away, and they slowly descend to the ground far from the tree they came from. This allows the seeds to spread effectively. Very clever!

Because the maple tree has plenty of nectar, it is very attractive and useful for bees and bumblebees. These endangered insects can really use the help. Scientists are also happy with the maple tree. They often look at nature for great examples and tricks for their inventions. The helicopters of the maple tree provide a lot of inspiration.

Make your own helicopter! Does it fly as well as a maple seed? Test and adjust your helicopter until you know when and why it flies best.

Step by step

Requirements

  • Colored paper 

  • A printer to print the helicopters 

  • A pair of scissors

  • A paperclip

How to make the helicopter?

  • Download the helicopter template from our website. Choose a nice color of A4 paper and print the helicopters.

  • Take a pair of scissors and cut along all the solid lines. The dotted lines are the fold lines.

Helicopter 1
Helicopter 2
Helicopter 3
Helicopter 4
Helicopter testen

Hold it in the middle. Test your helicopter: stand on a stool or at the top of the stairs and let it go. Hold your helicopter high in the air and drop it.

Extra test

Try weighting the bottom of your helicopter's tail with a paperclip. When does it fly better?