--- title: "Tumblewing Glider: UWT Measured Template" description: "Participants build a lightweight paper tumblewing and use a slanted cardboard sheet to create an updraft, sustaining its tumbling flight as they walk." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/unique-paper-plane-activity-for-group-fun-tumblewing-glider/" --- # Tumblewing Glider: UWT Measured Template Participants build a lightweight paper tumblewing and use a slanted cardboard sheet to create an updraft, sustaining its tumbling flight as they walk. **Time:** 15 minutes. UWT facilitation plan based on 5 to 15 minute source band **People:** 4 to 24. Individual builders working in pairs (or trios for odd counts) sharing flight lanes ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Observe how small mechanical adjustments affect stability and aerodynamic lift through direct iterative testing. **Use it when:** Use during STEM sessions, design iterations, or kinetic breaks where participants test ideas through rapid physical adjustments. **Skip it when:** Skip in crowded rooms, drafty spaces with open windows or strong air conditioning, or settings where standing and steady movement along a clear path are impractical. ## Materials and tools - One printed UWT template plus lightweight tracing paper or a thin newspaper sheet per person, with spares. Use printer paper for the tracing master, not the flying strip. - One pair of scissors per person or shared pair - One piece of stiff cardboard (approximately 30 cm by 40 cm or A3 size) per pair - One roll of painter's tape to mark starting launch lines - Facilitator preparation tools: printer, paper cutter, and ruler - A pencil per person for tracing fold and cut lines. - A timer. ## Before participants arrive 1. Clear flight corridors of at least 4 to 6 meters with minimal air currents. 2. Cut cardboard launch boards to size in advance using a paper cutter or utility knife. 3. Print one UWT template per person at actual size. Measure its 50 mm scale line with a ruler. If the line differs, correct printer scaling or draw a 160 mm by 40 mm rectangle using the measurements on the handout. Prepare spare gliders and test one before the session. ## Say this to open Today each of you will build a tumblewing glider. It does not fly like a normal dart plane. Instead, it tumbles backward continuously. By pushing a sheet of cardboard just behind and below it, you create an upward wave of air that keeps it aloft. Let us cut along the printed lines and test how long we can keep them in the air. ## How to run it ### 1. Cut and fold the wing (4 minutes) Give each person a template, lightweight paper, pencil and scissors. Trace the 160 mm by 40 mm rectangle and fold marks, then cut out the lightweight strip. Fold both 15 mm winglets up at 90 degrees. Between the winglets, bend the front 3 mm edge down slightly and the rear 3 mm edge up slightly. ### 2. Demonstrate the release (2 minutes) Demonstrate with a prepared glider. Keep the folded-up rear edge facing you and the winglets upright. Hold it comfortably above the tilted board, release gently, and let it tumble away from you. Hold the board nearly vertical, with its top leaning toward you at roughly 80 degrees from horizontal. Walk smoothly, keeping the board just behind and below the glider. ### 3. Flight practice and adjustments (6 minutes) Form pairs, or a trio if numbers are odd. Partners share a flight lane. One pilots while the partner spots and retrieves the glider; trios use two spotters or alternate turns. Pilots make three flight attempts, adjust fold angles to improve stability, then switch roles. ### 4. Debrief flight mechanics (3 minutes) Call the group together. Ask two or three volunteers to share what specific fold or walking adjustment created the longest sustained flight. ## Debrief questions - What subtle change in paper fold made the biggest difference in flight stability? - How did your walking speed or cardboard angle affect whether the glider stayed afloat or crashed? - What was the most helpful observation your partner or spotter shared during runs? **Finished output:** Assembled tumblewing gliders and participant observations on airflow and trim adjustments. ## Remote Each remote participant needs the template, lightweight paper, pencil, ruler, scissors and a stiff cardboard sheet at least 30 cm square. Build together, then test in a clear, still-air path. Share observations by voice or chat. Cameras are optional; keep devices outside the flight path. A participant without safe space may coach a partner from their verbal reports. ## Hybrid Room participants work in pairs or one trio; remote participants test in their own suitable spaces. Provide the same template in advance and use a shared call and chat. Keep the room camera and all devices outside flight lanes. Invite short observations from both settings. A remote participant without a safe path may coach from verbal reports. ## Access and participation choices - Seated participants can release the glider while an active partner walks with the board, or vice versa. - Participants may choose to serve exclusively as flight coaches, spotters, or timers without piloting or constructing. ## If the session gets stuck **Glider dives to the floor without tumbling.** The paper folds may be too flat. Slightly increase the curve of the leading edge downward and the trailing edge upward to initiate the roll. **Cardboard hits the glider right after release.** Hold the board further back and slightly lower. Let the glider begin its tumble first before walking forward at an even pace. ## Terms used here - Tumblewing: A transverse rotating flying wing that creates lift by spinning backward along its horizontal axis. - Updraft: A rising current of air, here generated by pushing a tilted board forward through still air. ## Participant material: Tumblewing Glider Cutout Template UWT TUMBLEWING TEMPLATE Print at actual size. Check that the scale line measures 50 mm. Trace the outline and fold marks onto lightweight tracing paper or a thin newspaper sheet. Cut the flying strip from that lightweight sheet. ![Measured 160 mm by 40 mm tumblewing template with fold lines and a 50 mm scale check](https://unitedwetransform.com/assets/exercise-materials/uwt-tumblewing-template-2133fa389809.svg) Ruler alternative: Draw a 160 mm by 40 mm rectangle. Mark vertical fold lines 15 mm from each short end. Between those lines, mark folds 3 mm from each long edge. Cut the solid outer rectangle. Fold both short end sections UP at 90 degrees. Bend the front long edge DOWN slightly and the rear long edge UP slightly, keeping those small bends between the winglets. Hold the folded-up rear edge toward you when releasing. The template is an original UWT drawing, proportionally reduced from the 8 by 2 inch rectangle and 3/4 inch winglets described by TAME. The 3 mm long-edge folds are a UWT starting point for adjustment, not an exact publisher pattern. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Playmeo as Tumblewing Glider, attributed there to Mark Collard. TAME also publishes walkalong-glider instructions with an 8 by 2 inch paper rectangle, 3/4 inch winglets and opposite long-edge folds. These observations do not establish original authorship. UWT provides its own measured template scaled proportionally to 160 by 40 mm, with 15 mm winglets and 3 mm long-edge starting folds. It replaces the unavailable Playmeo download and the earlier text-only sketch. Use lightweight paper and test a sample first. UWT also added a 15-minute plan, clear flight lanes, role choices and remote guidance. Sustained flight takes practice and is not guaranteed. [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/tumblewing-glider/) [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/tumblewing-glider) [TAME](https://www.tame.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Walkalong-glider-pattern-v4.pdf) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/unique-paper-plane-activity-for-group-fun-tumblewing-glider/