Samara Seeds - Make a Flying Seed Model
Flying Seed Simulator
Samara Seeds
Create a physical model of a seed that soars and watch how it flies! Ages 5+, 30 min+
A samara is a type of fruit surrounding a seed in which a flattened wing of papery tissue develops, allowing the wind to carry the seed away from the parent plant. This helps trees like maples and ash disperse their seeds so they can thrive and grow. In this activity you will make a simple samara and attach a bean or other seed to it and watch how it flies! You will need the paper template, scissors, tape and a bean seed. First cut out the template on the solid lines, then fold on the dotted lines so that your samara looks like a “T.” Attach the bean to the bottom of your samara using tape. Now it’s time to let your samara fly! Hold out the samara in front of you and let it drop watching at the tops of the samara spin. You can experiment with changing the design of the samara and try dropping it from different heights. Go outside and try to find examples of samaras out in your neighborhood; collect them and compare them to your design.