Tristan has been waiting for this day and it finally arrived! The dragons flew in by post and were waiting for us on our front doorstep when we arrived home from a day out picnicing by the sea. Dragons, you ask? What do you mean, dragons? Flying Dragons, of course!
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Tuttle Publishing knows that Tristan enjoys making and flying paper planes and they kindly sent over their Flying Dragons Paper Airplane Kit for him to use over the summer. Tristan has loved dragons ever since he saw me in a dragon boat 4 years ago.
The Flying Dragons Paper Airplane Kit contains: Enough double-sided paper for 48 flying dragons in 12 designs, as well as an instruction booklet to explain how to build them all. In addition, there are also step-by-step YouTube videos should that way of learning be easier for you.
What isn’t included: scissors for a couple of the designs, as well as great enthusiasm and imagination – that is the key ingredient to really making these dragons come to life!
With each dragon there is information about it and also about why that particular design is unique, and how to make it fly better. Because each dragon has a different folding pattern they each fly differently and have their own flight characteristics; highest, longest in the air, fastest…..
There is a good selection of difficulty levels and the planes the kids (and I made one, too) have taken anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour to complete. There was one that gave Tristan some difficulties. He came to me, but I’m afraid I wasn’t much help with this particular step. Tristan went away and I thought he had moved on to reading in his room because he’d been quiet for so long. But about 45 minutes later he returned with his finished plane in hand. He had sat very calmly and managed to work his way through it until he had it just right. I was so proud of him; sometimes he becomes so frustrated and upset when something doesn’t come easily and immediately to him, but with origami Tristan has learned that it’s a process and one must concentrate and ‘be as one’ with the origami.
Now if we can get Kallista to the same point of calmness! Actually, she’s pretty good with origami, and she will ask for help when she needs it. Check out our next origami post when I reveal the wonderful way she wants to use origami!
How Do the Dragons Fly?
These Flying Dragons really do fly very well, Tristan says,
They fly better than most other airplanes I made before which is a surprise because the other ones fly quite well themselves!
Kallista backed that up with this little gem,
I think the same as well; copy that and say Kallista said it!
What characters I have for children…we may have to do a lesson in plagiarism, however! And the dragons seemed to be a little shy during the flying competition the children had on a sunny afternoon, so don’t go by this video for their optimum performance; but do know that even when the dragons are feeling the pressure, they’re still fun!
I’m going to leave you with this news article in the BBC that our family thought was quite interesting; scientists have found the ‘optimal strategy for throwing something accurately.’ See, there is science and math involved with paper airplanes! Keep that in mind the next time your children want to make some! In fact, order them up the Flying Dragons kit and they’ll love you for it; you’ll be the cool parent…all the while knowing that you’re investing in their education!
Other Paper Plane Kits We’ve Used:
- The Supercool Paper Airplanes Kit: 12 Pop-Out Paper Airplanes; Assembled in About a Minute
- Ultimate Paper Airplanes For Kids
- Our own DIY Cardboard Tube Airplane
If you’d like to know more or would like to follow Tuttle Publishing, you can connect with them through their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest (and you can see our other Tuttle reviews here).
If you’re interested in purchasing this kit or other paper airplane kits, here are some cool links for you:
- Flying Dragons Paper Airplane Kit: 48 Paper Airplanes, 64 Page Instruction Book, 12 Original Designs, YouTube Video Tutorials
- Ultimate Paper Airplanes for Kids: The Best Guide to Paper Airplanes!: Includes Instruction Book with 12 Innovative Designs & 48 Tear-Out Paper
- Next Generation Paper Airplanes Kit: Engineered for Extreme Performance, These Paper Airplanes are Guaranteed to Impress: Kit with Book, 32 origami papers & DVD
- Supercool Paper Airplanes Kit: 12 Pop-Out Paper Airplanes Assembled in About a Minute: Kit Includes Instruction Book, Pre-Printed Planes & Catapult Launcher
