Airports, Airplanes, Flying, Pilot are only words to young children. The Ninety-Nines can bring meaning to these words and much, much more, by coming into your classroom.

The basic premise for Air Bears Go to School is that primary grade children are especially receptive to stimuli to which they are exposed. We felt that if we wanted to have the maximum impact in familiarizing future citizens with aviation, we should introduce it in the schools to this age group. This is the time to excite children about aviation, introduce a wider world of future avocation possibilities and encourage more of them to ultimately choose an aviation-related career.

You can prepare your class:

-before their 99s visitors come to the classroom

-before the airport field trip

-after all stages and

-reinforce as often as requested (hopefully long after their first-hand experiences).

 

Some Teacher Comments:

-Loved role playing and participating

-Excellent presentation

-Excellent programme, one that children will remember

-It was a valuable learning experience

-Enthusiastic presentation - it held class interest

-Like the personal involvement

-I put up the pictures and they talked about it for days

-Excellent programme, well adapted for first graders

-One of the best programmes I've seen because of the involving the kids and making it fun

1. Have a classroom area cleared/set up with chairs simulating Air Bears seating for crew and passengers (plus room around this area for the outside workers to maneuver).
   
2. Have school-supplied equipment on hand (i.e. VCR, TV, tape recorder, microphone & sufficient supplies of forms provided).
   
3. Ninety-Nines will bring job props, tapes, etc. and will introduce the flight schedule to Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida and simulate Air Traffic Control jobs.
   
4. Ninety-Nines will also introduce vocabulary and jobs - verbally, via VCR tape and written, magnetized signs (possibly to be attached to the chalkboard).
   
5. Distribute all the jobs, then present the workers, one job at a time, giving them the appropriate prop. After receiving their props, have the workers (except passengers) sit in the appropriate area around the "plane".
   
6. Reinforce above jobs, one at a time, having the children repeat the title and then demonstrate what the worker does with his/her prop.
   
7. After the passengers receive their baggage, have them purchase their tickets, go through security and then on to AIR BEAR ONE AIRLINE, being seated by the flight attendants.
   
8. At this time, we are ready for our pretend flight. During the flight, the flight attendants can demonstrate their job and then pass out the snacks. (Audio tape simulates sound of flight, conversations)
   
9. All during this programme, use simple words like all of the airport workers' jobs, cockpit, hangar, tower, taxi, runway, take-off and landing, having the children repeat them, time permitting.
   
10. The flight does have to end and everyone disembark. At this time, the AIR BEAR Certificate or Job Description or Colouring Book may be distributed (or held over to Phase II).