Inspirational Women in STEM

Next up in my inspirational women series is Amelia Earhart! As usual, there is a free downloadable fact file and several activities linked to Amelia’s achievements at the bottom of the post.

Amelia Earhart was the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean. She was a true adventurer, incredibly brave, and an inspiration to women everywhere!

Amelia’s first record was rising to a height of 14,000 feet in 1922. She did this in her own plane, nicknamed The Canary.

Amelia wanted to become the first woman and second person to fly across the Atlantic solo, which she attempted on the 20th May 1932. She took off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and headed for Paris. Strong winds and cold weather caused mechanical issues, so she didn’t quite make it to Paris. However, quick thinking Amelia changed course and landed in a field in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Amelia Earhart didn’t stop there. She became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific from Honolulu to Oakland in 1935. Then in 1937, she attempted a round the world trip. It was on this dangerous journey that Amelia’s plane got into trouble, and despite a huge rescue attempt, she was never found.

Amelia Earhart Fact File

Make paper spinners to learn about gravity!

Design and build a paper plane launcher.

In the early days of aviation it was very important to know how much weight a plane was carrying. Find out how mass and weight are different with some easy activities.

Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls has some brilliant paper plane designs to try!

Or, how about one of my easy experiments you can make fly!