Education

Airports around the world are a hub of activity each and every day. Junior aviators will discover what happens at the airport through a variety of experiential activities. From our Observation Lounge, they will have an up-close view of airplanes taking off and landing. A fun dramatic role-play activity provides an opportunity to learn about different careers in aviation.

Curriculum Connection
K – Science Strand C
Social Studies: People Around Me
Gr. 1 Science Strand C
Social Studies: My Community

Young engineers will explore how energy and force cause objects to move, in particular wheels and axles. Our museum’s Observation Lounge provides a big-picture look at arriving and departing aircraft, baggage carts, fuel trucks, and other vehicles that help airports operate every day. As a part of a design team, students will build and test a model baggage cart to ensure the safety of “airport cargo” while exploring how motion is impacted by mass, force and different surfaces.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 1 Strand B, C, D, E
Gr. 2 Strand B, C, D
Gr. 3 Strand B, C, D, E

Can you see the wind? How does wind affect an airplane in flight? Students will discover how the wind affects an aircraft’s takeoff and landing as well as what causes turbulence in flight. They will learn how pilots and air traffic controllers work together to ensure a safe flight for passengers. Using the museum’s wind tunnel, students will demonstrate turbulence in action. Students will design and construct a windstock to test and see the wind in action.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 1 Strand B, C, D, E
Gr. 2 Strand B, C, D, E

This program not only answers questions like “How does an aircraft fly without an engine?”, but also gives the students an opportunity to design, construct, and test a hoop glider! Through this STEM-based experience, concepts of gravity, force, and motion are explored. In addition, a Schweizer Glider, suspended from our museum’s ceiling as part of our Experience Flight exhibit, offers an up-close look at a glider aircraft responsible for decades of pilot training in the Air Cadets program.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 1 – 4 Strand B, C, D, E

Do you ever wonder why objects “float” as they move in space? Students will explore how microgravity affects Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion in space. Through scientific inquiry, junior scientists will test familiar toys and predict if they will work in the same way in microgravity. Students will then construct a climbing bear toy to demonstrate friction and gravity in action.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 4 Strand B, C, D
Gr. 5 Strand B, C, D, E
Gr. 6 Strand B, C, D, E

How does the weather, in particular the wind, affect air travel? Students will discover how meteorological weather instruments are used in aviation. Using our wind tunnel, students will discover what causes turbulence and how pilots and air traffic controllers work together to deal with turbulence in flight. In engineering teams, students will build an anemometer which can be used to measure wind speed.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 5 Strand B, C, E

After exploring a brief history of flight, junior aviators will create and test their own Bernoulli paper glider. Using our interactive Science of Flight exhibit, students will investigate the four forces of flight, the roll, pitch, and yaw aircraft movements, and how airflow affects flight using our museum’s wind tunnel. They will also be introduced to the Royal Canadian Air Cadets program and have the opportunity to sit in the pilot’s seat of an RCAF Beechcraft Musketeer training plane and a Mini 500 helicopter.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 6 Strand B, C, D, E

How did the Artemis ll crew return safely from their Mission to the moon? Students will learn about Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA’s process for building and testing an Orion spacecraft for this historical lunar mission in space exploration. Using the design process, engineering teams will collaborate to build and test a model Orion capsule to protect an astronaut.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 1 – 10 Strand B, C, D, E
Gr. 11 – 12 GLO C

How does a spacesuit protect an astronaut for space exploration? Students will explore the science and engineering behind spacesuit design for both inside and outside of a spacecraft. In teams, students will collaboratively use scientific inquiry and the engineering design process to design, build, and test a model spacesuit to protect an astronaut from micrometeorites on a spacewalk.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 7- 10 Strand B, C, D, E
Gr. 11 – 12 GLO C

After exploring the different types of aircraft featured in our museum collection, junior engineers will collaborate in order to design, build, and present aircraft made out of recyclable materials. By learning about how the features of different aircraft change to serve different purposes, students will decide whether their team’s aircraft needs large wings like a commercial aircraft, a narrow fuselage like a fighter jet, or alternate landing gear such as floats or skis like a bush plane.

Curriculum Connection
K – Grade 10 Strand B, C, D
Gr 11 GLO B/SLO B4, GLO C
Gr 12 GLO C

How does NASA transport valuable equipment into space? Future engineers will be encouraged to consider this question as they explore the best ways to safely send fragile objects beyond our atmosphere. In this hands-on challenge, students work in engineering teams to design, build, and test the smallest, lightest, and most cost-effective package to protect a single potato chip.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 6 – 9 Strand B, C, D, E

How are rockets propelled into space? Rocket scientists play a role in developing chemical propellants that are efficient and environmentally sustainable for spaceflight. Working in teams, junior chemical engineers will use solid and liquid components, such as vinegar and effervescent tablets, to create a model rocket propellant that maximizes thrust and minimizes environmental impact, with explosive results!

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 8 – 10 Strand B, C, D, E
Gr 11 – 12 Chemistry

Participants will learn about the history and design of rockets, from the first fireworks to spacecraft that have taken humans to the edge of our atmosphere and beyond. Using the engineering process, junior rocket scientists will design, build, and test their own straw rockets to discover how drag affects acceleration and distance. They will also learn about the different career paths that are open to them here in Manitoba to become rocket scientists.

Curriculum Connection
Gr. 8 – 10 Strand B, C, D, E
Gr. 11 – 12 Physics

Interested in a dynamic, hands-on career path? Air Traffic Control could be one for you! Using our unique view of the Winnipeg Airport, students will take a detailed look at how the Air Traffic Control system works to keep air travel safe. Participants will be introduced to the different careers that are available in Air Traffic Control with NAV Canada and will also engage in a flight path communication challenge.

Curriculum Connection
Gr 7 – 10 Strand C
Gr 11 – 12 Career Development

How does history shape our present and future? By exploring the fascinating stories featured in our museum’s multimedia displays, students will learn about the people, places, and planes that changed Western Canadian history, and discover how these stories still impact Canada and the world today. Using the museum as an original source, students will take on the role of a historian in a mini research activity to develop their historical thinking skills.

Curriculum Connection
Gr 11 Historical Thinking Concepts
Gr 12 Inquiry Process