Aerospace involves designing creating, testing, and controlling gadgets that fly. Aerospace is an engineering field concerned with the design, manufacture, and operation of spacecraft, satellites, launch vehicles, and ground support facilities to enhance the exploration of outer space. There are different types of spacecraft. Prominent among them are rockets which are oftentimes engineered by gases from one end to the other end. People who plan, design, manufacture and operate rockets are called aerospace engineers.

About 360 B.C, rocket-like devices were demonstrated by a Greek mathematician and scientist Archytas (428-350 B.C). Though rocket-like devices have been in existence for some time now, the science of how practically a rocket works was first introduced by Sir Isaac Newton in around 1687. Newton made mention of three very significant scientific principles that rule the motion of objects whether at a fixed position or in motion. These laws governed the motion of objects whether they were on earth or in space. They are what we now call Newton’s laws of motion. Newton’s law gave aerospace engineers basic knowledge to necessitate the design of rockets like Space shuttle Discovery and Saturn V rockets.

Aerospace is an engineering field that involves building vehicles that move in fluids. It includes working with cars, boats, trains, spacecraft, and airplanes. Just like any other engineers, aerospace engineers need to have a strong background in mathematics and science. Knowledge in computer science is also relevant as aerospace engineers plan, design, develop, create, test, and operate aircraft with the help of computers. For kids to connect to real-life aerospace engineering parents can take them to airports.

Aerospace engineering primarily comprises of two fields namely:

Aeronautical engineering: This is a field of aerospace engineering which is concerned with the development of propulsion systems and aircraft. Aeronauts study the aerodynamic performance of construction materials and aircraft. Aeronautical engineering works with technology, theory, and practice of flight in and around the earth’s atmosphere.

Astronautical engineering: It is a field of aerospace engineering which practices the theory and practice of travel beyond the earth’s atmosphere into outer space. Astronautical engineering’s main application is spaceflight and its overarching field is space science.

WHY AEROSPACE FOR KIDS

It is a known secret that naturally kids are born inventors. They love exploring, experimenting, and creating different things from paper plane launchers to paper rockets. Kids are good at exploring cool forces such as gravity and the whole world around them. Well personally, I think most teachers will attest to the fact that the most fun part of their lessons was during their engineering lessons with the kids. Kids have much fun when doing aerospace engineering projects in groups or as they are alone as they design and build a number of structures and projects at their own pace and in the way, they want it

Having watched kids play around it is no doubt that they love to design and build everything and anything such that it transcends to them disassembling and assembling their toys without effort. They love to take things out of their place just to see how they work. Research suggests if kids engage in engineering projects in a school setting, they have numerous positive results. As they work in groups, they ask themselves real questions like which side should I fix the parachute, what type of material should I use for the paper plane launcher?”. They communicate creatively in a collaborative manner with one another in order to achieve their goals. Not only does aerospace engineering help kids in designing structures, but they also learn to have respect for each other’s, safety, ideas, materials, and space. Aerospace engineering experiments ensure kids are instilled with the virtue of selflessness. They inculcate the spirit of working as a team whiles designing various projects.

It is said that the lifeline of every sector depends largely on the people running with it, those who are inspired and motivated enough to run along with it without considering boundaries. In another sense, if we can have aerospace engineers around for the next ten fifty years, we need to get kids interested. Not only can we get the kids interested but also make them understand that they can actually have aerospace engineering as a career. To achieve this, we need to get kids interested in aerospace engineering at an early age since it is easier to get children interested in things than adults especially when it’s done in fun and exciting ways.

AEROSPACE FOR KIDS: AEROSPACE ENGINEERS AND WHAT THEY DO

Aerospace engineers are people who design, create and operate spacecraft, rockets, missiles, satellites and jets. They usually work in environments such as

• Manufacturing, analysis, and designing
• Research and development
• Federal government

For your kid to become an aerospace engineer he or she must obtain a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering or any other field of engineering or study science relating to aerospace systems. An aerospace engineer may need a security clearance to work on projects related to national defense.

An aerospace engineer must:

• Have technical knowledge
• Have management skills
• Have strong creativity and innovative thinking
• Be aware of safety issues
• Have project management skills
• Pay particular attention to details etc.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AEROSPACE ENGINEER AND AERONAUTICAL ENGINEER

Aeronautics refers to people who design, manufacture, and operate airplanes, aircraft, helicopters and missiles that fly purposely in the air. While aerospace engineers design, build and operate vehicles that move both in the air and space.

KIDS AEROSPACE PROJECTS PARENTS OR TEACHERS CAN BUILD WITH THEM

It is interesting to know how kids love to build. Parents must provide guidance for some of the aerospace projects their kids engage in to ensure safety. Here is a list of kids’ aerospace projects parents can practically build with the kids. Spark your kid’s brains with these super fun activities as they enjoy and learn.

• Back yard water rocket: This type of aerospace project for kids makes use of the third law of motion described by Sir Isaac Newton which is based on equal and opposite reaction. All you need is
• Electric drill with 1/16, 5/32, and ¼ inch bits
• One No. 4 size rubber stopper that is 1 inch long, 1-inch diameter at the fat end
• One 8-inch length of 3/16 inch (outside diameter) copper tubing
• Bicycle pump with inflation needle
• Heavy card stock
• One 2-liter plastic bottle
• Duct tape
• One drinking straw, a minimum of ¼ inch diameter, etc.

Parents and teachers should check online for all the items that can be used to build back yard water rocket follow the instructions and guide the kids to build one as they watch the rocket fly in space in awe.

• A balloon-powered car: This type of aerospace project for kids makes use of physics, kinetic energy, potential energy, conservation energy, and again newton’s law of motion. Parents and teachers will need:
• Plastic bottle
• Pour plastic bottle caps
• Wooden skewers
• Two straws
• Balloon
• Tape
• Scissors or sharp knife
• An adult helper (very important because we do not want any casualties)

Again, the procedures of creating this aerospace project for kids is online hence parents and teachers should check it out and guide the kids through the project

The principle used in creating balloon-powered cars is the third law of newton which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It is this same principle that is employed in the designing and building of real jets and rockets that shoot a very high-speed stream of gases out of the back of their engines moving the gadget forward. In the same sense, this project uses the same idea of building your balloon toy car this means the built toy car is forced to move forward by the stream of air escaping from the balloon as it deflates.

• Last but not least teachers and parents can guide kids through the water balloon launcher aerospace project. You need:
• One 1*4 board
• One 2*4 board
• Wood screws
• Saw
• Ruler
• Screwdriver
• Small plastic container
• Duct tape and
• An adult helper

Step-by-step instructions is online for putting together the water balloon launcher. Parents or teachers should please guide kids through this aerospace project as their safety is paramount. It helps kids learn about problem-solving as most of their adventure will not allow them to have their water balloons short. They would want to see it fly a bit further hence they will devise new strategies to ensure their balloons fly further.

Parents and teachers should take the time to be creative and create things with them. Lots of the habits kids exhibit are largely from what they saw their parents do; be creative join them while they are painting or drawing. One little boy wanted his mum to join him while he was creating a paper plane. At, first his mum was hesitant probably thinking of how many papers will be littered on the floor. But it provided the perfect opportunity for the family to bond and it was a fun time for everyone.

As a mother the many papers could actually become a nuisance but, we need to encourage the kids instead of discouraging them because out of the small ideas the mighty comes.

Parents should pay particular attention to the passions and interests of their kids and make the necessary materials and activities available to them. Some children are creative to the extent that they create things that look closely like rockets and aircrafts an example is slingshot rockets. All they need is a big field in order to see their slingshots fly high in the air as they look on happily.

AEROSPACE JOB OPPORTUNITIES KIDS CAN BE TAUGHT ABOUT

There are lots of job careers in aerospace engineering that parents and teachers can actually talk to their kids or students about. Creating awareness is the key to getting kids into the aerospace field of engineering. Kids apart from being engaged in aerospace projects for kids can be taught about what they stand to become from just doing the little things they are creating. This will motivate them to get fully involved in the projects. Obviously, no one wants to start something they don’t know what the end might look like. Parents get researching and talking. The following are a number of career paths your kids can pursue after graduating as an aerospace engineer.

Mechanical engineer: Many parts of missiles, airplanes, and spacecraft are made to function more efficiently and better by mechanical engineers. They are involved with designing and researching potential advancements that can be made to airplanes, spacecraft, and jet engines. They also develop sensors for the current and future needs of people.

Aircraft/ spacecraft designer: The beginnings of private space flights and commercial air travels have led to the demand for more aerospace engineers. These state-of-the-art machines created by aerospace engineers aids in safe air travel and hence keeps getting efficient with each passing year.

Data processing manager: Most of the aerospace engineering lessons have moved to supercomputer simulations that aids in conducting research with less expense and time. Aerospace engineers are resourceful in processing the data collected in these simulations. They also determine how the data collected are used to deploy new results.

Military aerospace engineers: These are people who develop military technologies such as combat droids and laser-guided weapon systems to help soldiers in their effort to keep the world safe. Military aerospace engineers develop innovations that make combat safer and reduces collateral damage. This is a way of enhancing the strength of the military.

Compliance and inspector officer

These aerospace engineers ensure the safety of people on the ground and people in the air. They put in all sorts of safety laws and regulations designed to arrest flaws before anyone gets hurt. Aviation manufacturers, companies that provide air or space travel, the government, and aerospace companies employ the services of compliance and inspector officers.

Drafter: Before any missile, aircraft or jet can be built, drawings and specification sheets must be prepared. Drafters usually prepare these detailed and complex documents to show every aspect of the object in question from all angles and sides.

Aerospace technician: As part of research teams’ technicians are needed by aerospace, airlines, and aviation manufacturers. Aerospace technicians are members of the aerospace team that helps in installing, testing, repairing, and maintaining gadgets being used in the field or being developed for use.

BENEFITS OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROJECTS FOR KIDS

Considering how engineering is usually the last thing our educational system brings up that’s when kids would have gotten to the college level, it is of no doubt that possibly it is often forgotten. How can parents know for a fact that engineering is being included in the kid’s educational curriculum? Are there benefits one can pinpoint is as a result of the kids being involved in aerospace engineering?

Aerospace engineering projects boosts kids’ imaginative skills

Aerospace engineering projects boosts young kids’ ability to make use of their brains hence it enhances problem-solving, enables them to ask questions, and creates an avenue for budding aerospace engineers to show off their abilities. Aerospace engineering projects give kids the opportunity to come out with new ideas and to create things. Kids that are allowed to start the aerospace engineering careers earlier find it a career path easily because from the word go, they know what they are about.

Aerospace engineering projects enhances newness

Be it creating something new from an old one to creating something entirely new; aerospace engineering projects help to achieve newness. If kids are encouraged from tender ages to indulge in aerospace engineering projects for kids, they obviously will become the next future generational inventors we will hear about. We need to encourage the kids to engage in aerospace engineering projects for kids.

Aerospace engineering experiments help in creating everlasting and close bonding friendships

From building aerospace engineering structures in groups in their classes to establishing good working relationships at their workplaces, aerospace engineering projects for kids encourages kids (including the shy ones) to work in teams, blend their ideas and thoughts. Aerospace engineering projects for kids enhance the confidence level of kids and enable them to come up with new options.

Aerospace engineering covers all aspects of the curriculum

Aerospace engineering calls for children to recall what they learned in mathematics and science thereby applying their knowledge in both fields to the curricular activities. From art, design projects to technical vocabulary, aerospace engineering is affiliated to all parts of the school curriculum and is relevant in the usage of the English language in class. Aerospace engineering projects engaged by kids enable them to discuss a variety of topics on cross-curricular subjects. For instance, some students have had to analyze computer etiquettes., whilst some other students have had to work in teams to construct soundtracks for a poem they are developing at school from start, in order to present it alongside an oral presentation given by their tutors at the end of the unit.

Aerospace engineering projects breed Confident leaders

Making a difficult and quick decision, being spontaneous, and making sure the team is running smoothly while working on a project means aerospace engineers need to be brave leaders. During aerospace engineering projects for kids, they are encouraged to speak up about their beliefs and ask questions about topics they don’t seem to understand. Moreover, most schools organize aerospace engineering projects for kids’ competitions for their students which is yet another platform for students to mingle and engage with their peers and adults involved in similar creative and engineering fields. Aerospace engineering project for kids makes room for individual students to talk freely on their ideas, whilst collaborating these ideas.

Aerospace engineering projects organized by teachers enhance classroom equity

Researchers have found that aerospace engineering projects organized for kids help build classroom equity because during the engineering design there is no right or wrong answer it removes the stigma of failure; rather it places importance on failure as it is a process of problem-solving and a positive way to learn. In other words, engineering promotes equity in the classroom.

Aerospace engineering experiments organized in the house by parents help in creating close bonds between parents and kids

Parents who fold their sleeves and get on board creating rocket-like devices like paper planes and water balloons enjoy nice and beautiful times with their kids as they bond doing these fun STEM activities together. In addition to this, it is a way of giving your kids a good head start as they experiment with how to build real-life jets at early ages.

Aerospace engineering experiments gives kids the opportunity to be creative

It is undoubtedly true that your kids like science and engineering. It is no news at all: it is fantastic to create that thing that makes you stand back and shout wow!!!. There are a number of fun-filled aerospace engineering projects for kids no matter the age. Some engineering projects for kids are just fine for tiny tots but others are for teens, parents should please take note and use their best judgment and supervise when necessary. Just as engineering projects are available for adults, there are also aerospace engineering projects for kids which kids must be encouraged to join.

For young kids there are a number of engineering projects for kids available they include; straw rockets made with simple straws, craft stick catapults, paper plane launcher just to mention but a few. Not forgetting the teens, there is a number of engineering projects for kids available for you too. Simple pneumatic machine, hydraulic judo bots, and 100-yard paper rocket. With all the above-listed engineering projects for kids listed, I think I do not think childhood will be boring anymore.

Its rather unfortunate that despite the numerous aerospace projects available for kids to engage in, there is little or no encouragement from their parents, teachers, and even teacher educators as usually aerospace engineering is not mentioned throughout the child’s education until they get to college-level when often times their creativity is thrown in the midst.

Research indicates that when engineering is part of elementary instruction, it creates the awareness for kids to know that diverse opportunities exist for aerospace engineering and technical careers and they are more likely to choose these options as well.

Aerospace engineering experiments for kids must encourage a culture of collaboration in order that kids are able to exchange their ideas without fear of failure or being laughed at. Thus, failure must be treated as a necessary and important part of the design process.

Guiding your child through aerospace engineering projects for kids might seem like a waste of time but I believe it is worth it because through these practices they gather the concepts of aerospace engineering. And develop an interest in different fields.

Also, notice what aerospace engineering concepts your kids are learning in school so you try them in the house, this only makes it exciting when they are learning about it.