Image of the Air Force wings with the museum name underneath

Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
FREE Admission & Parking

Classes in green letters with a red line underneath and a graphic of an open book with a pencil

The museum offers a variety of programs with learning opportunities related to science, technology, engineering and math, as well as history (and other social studies fields). Classes are offered at the museum Tuesday - Thursday.

All programs are free and open to group sizes of 15-36 students. Groups larger than 36, please contact the Education Division directly before scheduling at 937-255-8048.

Click HERE to place your Educational Class request. All requests must be received at least 4 weeks prior to requested date.

All programs meet Ohio Department of Education Learning Standards academic content standards. 

Materials for these programs are provided, in part, by the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc.  (Federal endorsement is not implied). 

Note: These programs are restricted to students currently in the grade levels listed below.

All classes are free of charge.

science and social studies with a sled kite grades 4-6 in green lettering with a red line underneathStudents seated at table designing a sled kite.

 

 

 

This class is designed to teach students the historical significance of kites (especially in regards to the Wright brothers) - and for older students, introduce them to the forces that affect flight. 

Ohio Learning Standards for Social Studies and Science:

Kit math: grades 4-7 in green lettering with a red line underneath

 

Image of students sitting on the classroom floor with cut out of paper kites

 

 

This class is designed to give students practice with certain math skills while building a sled kite (thus including following directions and fine motor skills).

  • Ohio Learning Standards for Mathematics:
  • Students will practice their knowledge of congruency, similarity, parallel lines and perpendicular lines; work as a team to calculate the perimeter and area of the sled kite; and for older students – work as a team to calculate the aspect ratio of the sled kite
  • Each student will also receive a kite kit and be led through the process of building a sled kite and receive instructions on how to fly the kite
  • This class can be in-residence or taught remotely

force and motion with rockets grad 5-6 in green letters with a red line underneath

 

Image of 4 students sitting at a table covered with their rocket building supplies and blue water bottles. They are holding up the white rockets that they built.

 

 

This class is designed to teach students about force and motion through the exciting field of rocketry

  • Ohio Learning Standards for Science:
  • Students will learn how a force affects motion and how force, mass and acceleration are related. Pairs of forces will be examined as will the relationship of action and reaction.
  • This class can be in-residence or taught remotely
  • Optional addition: a model rocket build (without a launch). Call or email the Education Division to discuss availability of this option.

principles of flight: grads 5-9 in green letters with a red line underneath

 

Image of a wooden airplane modle with the museum's logo imprinted on the wings



This class is designed to teach about forces and motion through the study of the scientific principles behind flight

  • Ohio Learning Standards for Science:
  • Students will learn the four aerodynamic forces that affect an airplane’s flight; the explanations for lift: Newton’s First and Third Laws of Motion, the Coanda Effect and the Bernoulli Principle; and the three main control surfaces on an airplane and how they affect flight with respect to the three axes of motion
  • Each student will build a balsa glider and attach three 4 cm x 5 cm sticky notes as an elevator and two ailerons; predict how various configurations of the control surfaces will affect flight; and test fly their aircraft and compare their predictions to actual outcome
  • This class can be in-residence or taught remotely

introduction to engiering design process, grades 6-8 in green letters with a red line underneath

 

Students work together as a team to design and build cardboard CubeSats

 

 

This class is designed to teach the Engineering Design Process and to allow students to practice this new knowledge by working in teams to design, build and test a cardboard CubeSat using the steps of the EDP

Duration: This version of the Intro to EDP class is about 1.5 hours long and does not include a provision for having the students work within the constraint of costs/weight

Ohio Learning Standards for Technology:
 Society and Technology: 6-8.ST.2.a
 Design and Technology: 6-8.DT.1.c; 6-8.DT.2.d; 6-8.DT.2.e; 6-8.DT.3.a; 6-8.DT.4.a

  • Students will learn about engineering and the individual steps of the Engineering Design Process (EDP) and learn about CubeSats, including the pros and cons of miniature satellites
  • Students will work cooperatively in teams to use the EDP to design, build and test a full-size cardboard CubeSat
  • This class can be in-residence or taught remotely

introduction to the engineering design process grades 6-8 in green letters with a red line underneath

Image of two girls sitting at a table working with the classroom supplies

 

 

 

This class is designed to teach the Engineering Design Process and to allow students to practice this new knowledge by working in teams to design, build and test a cardboard CubeSat using the steps of the EDP

Duration: This version of the Intro to EDP class is about 3.0 hours long and includes a provision for having the students work within the constraint of costs/weight

  • Ohio Learning Standards for Technology:
  • Students will learn about engineering and the individual steps of the Engineering Design Process (EDP) and learn about CubeSats, including the pros and cons of miniature satellites
  • Students will work cooperatively in teams to use the EDP to design, build and test a full-size cardboard CubeSat and compete with other student teams to determine which team designed the CubeSat that was the cheapest, lightest and scored the highest on the structural tests
  • This class can be in-residence or taught remotely

cryptology: making and breaking codes grades 6-12

Image of a code breaking mechanism that looks like a gear

 

 

 

Students will learn about and practice the skills needed to make and break codes while learning about some significant 20th century codebreaking – with emphasis on Elizebeth Smith Friedman and the Dayton Codebreakers.

  • Ohio Learning Standards for Mathematics, Computer Science and Social Studies:
  • Includes learning the significance of code breaking in American History from World War I through World War II and careers in cryptology
  • Students will learn about several methods of code breaking and practice making/breaking their own codes
  • This class can be in-residence or taught remotely