Manipulating paper with origami-like precision has consumed Truganina South Primary School students in recent weeks.
The school’s paper plane challenge on August 20 is part of its annual science night, and students across all year levels have been making their own planes in a quest to see how far they will fly.
Science teacher Heather Buzza says a winner will be awarded from each year level for the plane that flies farthest and then the champions will have a ‘fly-off’ to decide an overall winner.
Ms Buzza says the 2014 movie Paper Planes, which follows a boy’s passion for flight all the way to Japan’s world paper plane championships, had inspired students and teachers.
“We’re teaching students across grades one to four about forces, gravity, motion and friction at the moment, so the paper plane challenge ties in nicely with what we’re trying to teach them,” Ms Buzza said.
“Science is fun for everyone, and it’s about teaching the kids that science is everywhere, every day, in every thing that they do.”
