How to Make a Paint Stick
Boomerang
A lesson plan by Steven Graham
Kane Elementary School, Art Teacher,
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Also see Indoor Paper
Boomerang
Get two paint stir sticks (paint paddles) for each boomerang you want to make. If the sticks are curved axially (concave on one side), make that side the bottom of the boomerang (figure 1). If a stick is extremely warped, twisted, or weak it should not be used. Every box of paint sticks has some of these.
figure 1
Use a bench grinder,
sanding disk, sanding drum on a drill, or even sand paper to shape (carve) the
wings. Round off the ends of each wing tip (figure 2). The edge of the wing that
cuts through the air first is called the leading edge. Round off the topside of
the leading edge
as shown (figure 3). The trailing edge of each wing is carved at a sharper
angle, but do not make the edge too thin (figure 3). The top view of each stick
(figure 4) shows where wood has been carved away. The green lines mark the edge
of carving, and the green dash line shows where to carve on the under
side.
figure 2
figure 3
figure 4
At this point the
students can be given the sticks to decorate. I have my students put more
elaborate decoration on the topside of the sticks, and their names on
the bottom. Students can use markers or acrylic paint as long as the paint is
brushed on smooth. The sticks can be sprayed with clear sealer after students
are done. To finish the boomerang the two sticks are attached together with a
rubber
band (figure 5).
figure 5
Throw only in zero
or very light wind, less than three miles per hour is ok. This boomerang can
also be thrown in a gymnasium as long as the ceiling is high
enough, and the throw is not over powered. Throw the boomerang to the right of
the wind (figure 6). Tilt the boomerang at an angle like this / and never
throw it flat (figure 7). The thrower should be able to look over to the right
and see the topside
of their boomerang (figure 5). The boomerang will circle counter clockwise. A
counter clockwise circling boomerang, often called a right-handed
boomerang, because it is easier for a right-handed person to throw. If you want
a left hand boomerang, or clockwise circling boomerang, you can make a
mirror image of the plans and throw mirror image of a right handed throw.
figure 6
Note: After painting
the sticks can warp and must be twisted back to almost flat. If one wing has
some negative angle of attack the boomerang may not fly or may even turn to the
wrong direction in flight.
figure 7
If you are making
boomerangs for the first time with your class, you may want to test fly each
undecorated boomerang before giving them to your class. Some paint sticks work
better than others. If the paint paddles you get are made of a soft lightweight
wood, you may need to make the sticks shorter. You can tell if the boomerang
loses too much rotation or falls at your feet, you may need to shorten each
wing. Take a little
off the sticks' length and check its flight until it hovers and flies
nice. I have been getting my paint
paddles from Solon Manufacturing. You
can find them on the web at: http://www.solonme.com/paint/paint_parts.htm I get the 12-inch long paint paddles.
This boomerang
lesson is not a complete lesson by itself. I also teach my students the history
of the boomerang (they were not used just in Australia). I teach
the aerodynamics and physics that make the boomerang work. I teach my students
what the boomerang was used for by primitive people (not for hunting), and about the
modern sport and recreation of boomerang throwing.
Have fun throwing
your boomerangs and follow the safety rules on the USBA web site.
My students have fun
throwing the boomerangs they make in a competition. We do this at recess time.
We have played a modified accuracy game before with students getting
points for accuracy and extra points for catching the boomerang. I have also played boomerang relay games
with teams of throwers sprinting to a marker and throwing. If they catch the
boomerang they can run back and tag the next player. If they miss the catch they throw one more time and then tag the
marker and run back and tag the next thrower to run to the marker. The team that finishes throwing first wins
the relay.
For more on
boomerang competition the Vermont Boomerang Association has a good web
site. http://www.vermontboomerang.org/
Links with Science
information
Unspinning
the Boomerang by Hugh Hunt
Ted Bailey's How Boomerangs Work
Links For Kids
More Links
United
States Boomerang Association web page
My own boomerang web site. (This is my own personal web page and not
part of the Kane web site.)
Boomerang Terms to Teach Students
Australia is one-place boomerangs were made by ancient people. Australia is a country and a continent.
Aboriginal is a native
person. The Australian Aboriginals are one group of people that invented
boomerangs.
Kylie,
Hunting Stick, Killer Stick, or Throwing Stick are curved
flat sticks used for hunting. Killer sticks fly in a straight path.
A
Boomerang is an offshoot of the hunting stick. It is used for playing games and they come back to the thrower.
Aerodynamics
is
the study of airflow and the forces associated with fluid dynamics.
A Wing
is a part of an airplane, boomerang, or bird that provides lift.
Lift
is
a force that pushes or pulls up on a wing surface.
The Leading
Edge is the front edge of a wing.
The Trailing
Edge is the back edge of a wing
Dihedral
Angle
is a bend upward in a wing towards the tip of the wing. It can be seen in most
airplanes, boomerangs and many kites.
Positive Angle of Attack is a bend upward in a wing toward the leading edge of the wing.
Some good articles at the Australian Boomerang Association
http://www.boomerang.org.au/articles/ A good glossary of boomerang terms.
Some Fun Australian Terms
Ankle Biters - small children
Aussie Salute - characteristic waving of the hand to chase
away flies
Battler - someone who works hard to earn a living by honest means, one who
struggles to make it by
Billabong - watering hole
Bush - wilderness, the Outback
Billy - tin can used to boil water over a campfire for tea or stew
Bloke - man
Boomerang - curved stick that will return when thrown, used for games not as a
weapon
Corroboree - Aboriginal celebration, similar in meaning to Pow-Wow
Didgeridoo - instrument made from a hollow log
Dinkie-Die - the whole truth
Dinkum or Fair Dinkum - genuine, true
Dreamtime - A time of creation, sacred to Native Australians
G'Day - a greeting (good day)
Good On Ya – good for you
Jumbuck - sheep
Kylie, Hunting Stick, or Killer Stick - curved stick used
for hunting, will not return to thrower
Lagerphone - percussion interment made with bottle caps
Mate - your buddy or friend
Matilda - belongings carried by a swagman, wrapped in a blanket
No Worries - that's okay
Outback - remote part of Australia away from town, Australian dessert
Sheila - woman
Swagman - hobo who carries his swag
Straight Away - right away, very soon
Tucker - food
Vegemite - yeast extract used as a spread on toast
Woomera - spear thrower
Yidaki - traditional name for a didgeridoo
Dreaming
and Dreamtime
In the Aboriginal worldview, every event
leaves behind a vibration image in the earth, as plants leave an image of
themselves as seeds. The shape of the land -- its mountains, rocks, riverbeds,
and waterholes -- echo the events that brought that place into creation. Everything in the natural world is connected
to the memory of its origin. The
Aborigines call this the "Dreaming" of a place, and it helps explain
the sacredness of the earth.
The book "Dreamkeepers: A Spirit Journey Into Aboriginal
Australia" by Harvey Arden, gives more information on Aboriginal spiritual
beliefs, from the view of an outside to the culture.
Aboriginal
Arts
Aboriginal art serves both religious and social
purposes. It is often associated with
Dreaming stories and plays an important part in ceremony and ritual. Outside influences have traditionally been
incorporated into indigenous artwork, and that is true today as modern tools,
materials and ideas continue to transform the art process.