Indoor
Paper Boomerang Lesson
Use a template and trace it onto
tag board, heavy paper, or poster board.
Fit as many as you can onto a sheet. Cut them out but not right up to
the line.
Let the students color their
boomerangs with markers and then have the tag board laminated. The lamination
will add some weight, and stiffness (making the boomerang fly better) and will
make the boomerang more durable. Let the students cut them out after you have
laminated the boomerangs. Sometimes I
will run the boomerangs through the laminator two times making them even
stiffer with the two layers of lamination on them. Sometimes I will make them from two layers of tag board glued
together for an extended range indoor boomerang.
Boomerangs will fly best if the
wings have some dihedral or have a little positive angle of attack. I will show the students how to bend down
the trailing edge of each wing. When we
do these kinds of adjustments we say we are tuning the boomerang.
The illustration above shows
bending down the trailing edge of each wing.
This is not a fold, but rather a gentle bend in each wing. Show them how to hold the boomerang in front
of them, so they are looking at the topside of the boomerang and bend the wing
that is facing up. They can then rotate
the boomerang and do the next wing. If
the boomerang thrower is left-handed the illustration needs to be reversed to
make a left hand boomerang. A left hand
boomerang will fly in a clock-wise circle and a right hand boomerang will fly
in a counter clock-wise circle.
I tell students to keep the
boomerang safe and flat by storing it inside a large book when not in use.
Throwing a Paper Boomerang
The paper boomerang is made for throwing inside. It is too light to throw outside and will be blown off course by even the slightest wind. This boomerang is very safe to throw inside but I always tell my students make sure you have your parent’s permission to throw in your house. Throw your boomerang responsibly so you do not bother others.
Hold the paper boomerang with a pinch grip. You should be able to look over and see the topside of the boomerang.
Imparting spin to the departing boomerang is crucial. Cock the boomerang back in your hand. Your hand is in a position like you are going to knock on a door and the boomerang is cocked back along your arm.
Paper boomerangs are held almost
completely vertical. Most boomerangs
require only a little bit of layover (10-30°, between 12:00 and 1:00 for a
right-hander facing a clock). Throwing
a boomerang with too much layover will cause the boomerang to climb high before
crashing back down.
I encourage my students to go home and try some other materials for boomerang making. A cereal box works very well for indoor boomerang construction. Some heavier cardboard such as the top of a pizza box can work for a short range outdoor boomerang if the tuning is done right.
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.
United States Boomerang Association
Links with Science
Information
Unspinning
the Boomerang by Hugh Hunt
Ted Bailey's How Boomerangs Links
For Kids
My own boomerang web site. (This is my own personal web page and not part of the
Kane web site.)