Wednesday 20th May - Make your own boomerang

A boomerang is a flying shape that returns to you after you've thrown it! It is a well known weapon used by some Aboriginal Austrailian people for hunting, but they're also great fun for having a go with at home!

The YouTube video below gives simple instructions of how to make a cardboard boomerang. The secret to their success is to master how to launch them; the video shows this well, and Mr McNally has also made a video demonstration too (it's below the YouTube video).

You can just have a go at making one, but if you want to you could investigate how to make the 'best' boomerang (the one that returns best) by:

• Using different types of card, try cereal box, cardboard packaging, an old greetings card, or anything you can think of. Keep the size and shape the same to make it a fair test.
• Varying the angle of the boomerang, keeping the card the same to make it a fair test.
• Varying the size of the boomerang, keeping the angle and the card the same.
• Can you think of any other ways to test your boomerang?

To give an idea of the 'best return', the distance that the boomerang lands from where it was launched can be measured. Other challenges might be to set up a target on the floor and aim for it , or a vertical cane or broom where the aim is to fly the boomerang around it. Family members could compete!

There are loads of ideas, template etc. on the web that you could try out.

Why not have a go at decorating your boomerang with Aboriginal art? There are lots of images for inspiration online, and here are a couple of YouTube tutorials that might be helpful:

• Aboriginal Inspired Dot Painting: Boomerangs
• Decorating Boomerang Project from Boomerang Native Art

 

We'd love to hear how you got on with your boomerangs. Leave a pic, or even a video in the comments on the facebook post, or you can email admin@walterhalls.nottingham.sch.uk.