Flying Discs – All Work and All Play

Many traditional toys provide the ideal introduction to the principles of physics. Concepts that are hard to explain can be illustrated through experimentation. This blog post considers the benefits of playing with a variety of flying disks.

Playing with frisbees is a practical illustration of the aerodynamic forces: lift, thrust, weight and drag. So all these concepts can be introduced and explored. An online search should produce some explanations that can help you and your class understand what these are. At the primary level, keep this simple.

Very often supermarkets have an end-of-summer sale where frisbees and other flying discs can be bought very cheaply. Alternatively ask your children to bring theirs into school. Don’t forget your own either! A variety of flying discs is helpful. Encourage your children to devise fair tests to establish:

If your school has a playing field then it will suit a flying disc session. The basic requirements are: open level ground, plenty of space for your class, no overhead wires and away from roads (and airports). It’s a good idea to avoid really windy or stormy weather too.

Here’s some investigations to try… but ask your children for their ideas too as they may have better ones!

• Try throwing the frisbee with each hand. Does this affect the direction of rotation, i.e. does the frisbee move clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on whether you use your left or right hand?
• What tips can your class suggest to make a frisbee rise as it travels? How does this impact on the distance a frisbee can cover?
• Is it possible to throw a frisbee in such a way that it comes back to you?
• Can the children predict what will happen to the flight of a frisbee if it is thrown upside down?
• What happens when weight is added to the frisbee? What material can be used to add weight? Does it make a difference where the weight is located (e.g. in the middle, at the edges)?
• Does the type of flying disc affect the distance covered?
• Get your class to design a flying disc golf course. Naturally it will need to be tested too…
• Have a go at Ultimate – a wonderful team game played with flying discs
• What is the best way to pimp a frisbee? I once knew someone who attached flashing lights so he could use it in the dark.

With all the science investigations, encourage the children to look at predicting what will happening and to find ways of designing a fair test. Reporting on the outcomes helps children articulate what they have learned. Above all, enjoy the opportunity to mix sport with science.

This blog post was originally published in August 2013.