Virtual Family Day: Wings

Create and discover with your family! Activities are designed for all ages.

Sandhill cranes flying across a field.
UAF photo by Todd Paris, 2015.

Explore the science and art of wings!

From butterflies and birds to bats and airplanes, discover how different wings work, how animals use their wings, and how humans design and build flying vehicles.

Activities To Do At Home:

The links are all PDF documents.

Make a Songbird Mobile: Celebrate spring and migratory birds by making a colorful mobile.
Build an Insect: Explore Alaska’s abundant flying insects. Watch a conversation about insect wings here!
Marbled Butterfly Prints: Make colorful butterfly wings with marbled paper.
Build a Bat With Flapping Wings: Discover the only flying mammals by making a hands-on craft. Watch a how-to video here!
Design a Paper Airplane: Explore the principles of flight by building and testing paper airplanes.

Create Cardboard Wings: Explore wing shapes and create your own wearable wings.
Explore Seeds With Wings: Collect birch and spruce seeds and discover their wings.

Marbled red, orange and green paper cut into the shae of butterfly wings and glued to a popsicle stick for a body. Child modeling cardboard wings painted to look like dragonfly wings, seen from the back. Hand holding a paper airplane, about to throw it. The words "The Alaska Dart" are written on the side.