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Ah, it’s the height of summer. While you might be grateful that school is out, you might also be itcing for ways to learn. These drone lesson plans can make STEM learning fun — even in the summer.
Maybe you’re looking to start an after-school STEM program as part of a Girl or Boy Scout troop, YMCA, or other program for kids. Maybe you’re a teacher looking to incorporate drones into your everyday lesson plans. Or maybe you’re a parent of grade-school kid just looking for supplemental enrichment programming for the kids to do over summer or winter break. As drones become one of the most sought-after STEM tools in classrooms, you might be in need of some drone lesson plans.
Drones are an excellent way to keep kids both engaged with learning and entertained. And luckily, there’s tons of drone-based educational content designed for kids (okay, and adults too!). Many are even free and available online.
These drone lesson plans come from some reputable sources including Khan Academy and NASA. So with that here are the best at-home drone lesson plans and other activities for parents to share with their kids (including free drone lesson plans, too):
Putting together drone lesson plans for kids and STEM classrooms
The best curriculum if you’re looking for paid drone lesson plans
For older students learning about Raspberry Pi: Drone Dojo
Whether you already have your own parts to build your own drone and want straightforward guidance via a perfectly laid out video tutorial, or you want to order a ready-to-build Raspberry Pi drone kit, Drone Dojo is your source.
Most of his courses are around building drones using Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi is a popular line of small, single-board computers about the size of a credit card used among STEM classrooms and even small businesses. These days, the Raspberry Pi is one of the best-selling British computers. In fact, more than 30 million boards have been sold as of December 2019.
The $27 online subscription gets you all the virtual courses, though you’ll need to supply your own materials. That means you ultimately might shell out, say, $900 Raspberry Pi drone kit. Though, that kit is well worth it, as it includes all the supplies you need. Plus, there are video tutorials teaching you how to put them together.
While the course itself is easy to follow, this is not a kids’ project. Use this one for advanced high school students, or young adults (and old adults!).
For an all-inclusive drone education curriculum: DroneBlocks
DroneBlocks offers a comprehensive suite of educational solutions in drones and robotics for STEM educators. Their programs aim to teach computer science fundamentals, assist students in obtaining a commercial drone pilot license, create a drone light show, or even launch a competitive FPV drone racing team.
The most popular option is to purchase the entire DroneBlocks curriculum (hardware not included). STEM educators can enroll in their schools for $495 per year. This curriculum includes over 40 courses covering a range of topics such as advanced programming in Python and JavaScript, drag-and-drop block coding, access to a drone simulator, and more.
There are some smaller courses within your curriculum you can try out for free like one on drone light shows. In this course, students have access to software that allows them to modify existing shows or create their masterpieces. While all software and course materials are provided for free, bringing your drone show to life requires purchasing the necessary hardware, which includes 10 drones and additional equipment, for $7,495.
For detailed drone lesson plans designed for grade-school classrooms: She Maps
She Maps is an educational site that provides programming both in-person and in the form of drone lesson plans for teachers. One of their premier offerings is a program where students “become” a Geospatial Scientist for the day. With that, they fly a drone to complete a survey mission to gather data.
But they also offer a number of online teacher resources. Their programming includes:
Drones: Learn how to bring drones into your classroom with no stress
Digital Tech: Practical lessons on using digital technology to its potential
Coding: Teach your students real-life problem solving through code
Mapping and Data: Run Geospatial lessons and projects with your students
Normally, access to that programming costs $170 a year. But ever since COVID-19 brought in the possibility of widespread, remote learning She Maps began offering additional resources, free of charge. The team said they intend to add more resources over the coming weeks.
For a Netflix-style curriculum offering: World of Drones Education
World of Drones Education is a web portal for educators that curates content for teachers, produces STEM master classes for the STEM world. Plus, it offers up other learning supplements such as a blog, vlog, podcast, and webinar platform. It’s a sort of ‘Netflix’ of STEM resources for teachers, educators, corporates, and parents. It also includes on-demand lesson plans (for an extra fee).
The Australian-based site has tons of Australian-related drone content, but also extensively covers U.S. rules and regulations, along with rules in some other major countries.
Target age demographic: Ages 10-16
Skills covered:
Guide to Getting Started with Drones in Schools:
Who are CASA
Drone Education Aligned to the Australian Curriculum Years 5 – 10
Safety Considerations for Lessons
What the drone rules are around the world
CASA Australia
FAA USA
Airshare NZ
Price tag: VIP Level Access costs $500 AUD annually for industry and corporate members*. The Basic Education Package costs $0 for teachers and educators. Though, you must submit a brief application to be considered for $0 membership.
*Corporate membership includes extras that Basic package does not include, such as VIP-invite industry events. On-demand lesson plans are available for an additional fee.
World of Drones Education’s claim to fame: World of Drones Education is the brainchild of Dr. Catherine Ball. Ball also created the annual World of Drones Congress conference in Australia. Dr. Ball is known for her humanitarian drone work and has worked on past drone projects such as SheFlies.
The best drone lesson plans for getting your Part 107 license
Many of the online courses revolve around Part 107 test prep. Under the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107, anyone in the U.S. wanting to operate a drone commercially needs to obtain a drone pilot license, which you get by passing an in-person written exam. Here are some of the Part 107 test prep courses I like:
For older kids (high-school age and up) seeking a career in drones: Drone Pilot Ground School
Does your teen wants an awesome summer job? Delivering pizzas via drone? Conducting roof inspections for neighbors? Maybe they just want to be ready for a career in drones. Use this time to start studying for the Part 107 test.
You must be at least 16 years old to qualify for a remote pilot certificate. Given that, it might make sense for 14 or 15 year olds to start taking the course now so they’re ready to take and pass the test when they turn 16.
To study, I recommend online learning platform Drone Pilot Ground School (it’s what I, The Drone Girl, used to pass my Part 107 test on the first try) for a trove of videos, practice questions, a cram sheet, a forum, weekly newsletter, 1:1 customer support and more. The program typically takes about 15-20 hours to complete.
It usually costs $300, but you can use coupon code DRONEGIRL50 to save $50 and bring your price down to just $249.
The $200 Drone Launch Academy online course can provide you peace of mind about passing. If you fail your in-person exam, Drone Launch Academy will pay for you to retake it, which is an $150 value in itself, on top of a course refund (an additional $199 value).
Price: $199 (plus use coupon code DRONEGIRL50 to save $50 and bring your price down to just $149)
Time needed to complete: 5 hours to watch the videos straight through, or 15 hours to go through all the study materials
What’s included in the price tag: video lectures, 200 practice questions including actual FAA questions, 75-page downloadable e-book study guide
The best drone lesson plans specific to physical drones
The best drone to learn to code: Crazyflie Nano drone
DroneBlocks recently began selling the Crazyflie Nano drone for educators looking to teach coding through drones in response to DJI discontinuing the Tello drone.
The Crazyflie Nano drone, weighing 27 grams, is compact enough to fit in a student’s palm. Designed for indoor flying, it can navigate crowded areas like classrooms. In fact, the Crazyflie drone comes in at No. 1 in my recommendation list of the top educational drones for a STEM program.
This allows students to engage in block coding and Python programming using the DroneBlocks app, providing them the opportunity to immediately test and improve their coding skills in real-time.
The drone can also be assembled by hand in about 15 minutes, another great feature that educators can incorporate into their instruction.
The DJI Tello is one of my favorite drones for newbies.
For a learning drone with a camera: Tello (if you can find it!)
The Tello drone is a low-cost yet high-quality drone made by Ryze Technology, using DJI equipment. It’s great for learning how to fly and learning how to code. But perhaps the most unique asset when it comes to Tello drone lesson plans is the drone’s ability to teach coding. The Tello drone integrates with a programming language called Scratch. With it, you can program the drone to fly certain directions based on the “code” you have written.
It’s a great practice drone for anyone new to piloting, whether kid or adult. Plus, it comes with a camera, something many learning drones do not have.
Why did we ditch Tello as the top pick? That’s because DJI discontinued the Tello drone. In late 2023, the Tello drone was listed as sold out on DJI’s stop. On third parties such as Amazon, quantities are limited (mostly to used versions only).
Free curriculum: the best drone lesson plans that don’t cost a dime
For free videos on mapping and reality capture: DroneDeploy Insider
This streaming service airs past DroneDeploy Conference talks, plus videos made specifically for the service. There are also podcasts, plus downloadable PDFs (in case you want extra info in a format that’s not video). Called DroneDeploy Insider, it’s made by DroneDeploy. Based in San Francisco, DroneDeploy makes drone mapping software — so just beware its underlying goal to sell you as a DroneDeploy customer.
But that’s not all the drone-related course offered on Khan Academy. Electrical engineers might be interested in this course on home-made robots or this program on building motors. This photography course incorporates aerial photography.
And this one isn’t directly drone-related, but besides my love of drones, I love Disney…so I’m sharing it anyway! Disney developed their own series of 32 videos for Khan Academy called ‘Imagineering in a Box’. The lesson plan show how Imagineers (that’s Disney’s term for their creative engineering team) use skills ranging from story development and conceptual design, to math, physics and engineering – to create immersive experiences. We know that Disney Imagineering is actively looking into drones themselves. They’ve filed patents for their own drone projects. And, they once teamed up with Intel to put on a drone light show for Disney World guests.
For drone lesson plans that integrate a 3D printer: NASA’s 3D Models
This is a little more space-oriented than drone, but it’s relevant, especially given that many dronies also own 3D printers.
NASA allows you to download tons of free digital 3D models. That way, you can print your own miniature satellites, landing sites, asteroids, spacecraft, spacesuits and astronaut tools.
For high-achieving students seeking college-level drone lesson plans: Class Central
Online course aggregator Class Central has tons of online educational content on a range of topics (drones and beyond). And some of its best courses? More than 400, free Ivy League classes.
Older students who want to work in the drone industry might be especially interested in these ones:
An article in National Defense reports that the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the entity responsible for the development and maintenance of the Blue sUAS list, will hold a “competitive refresh” of the list later this year. The DIU’s Blue sUAS list is a critical certification for drone manufacturers. The list indicates a “secure platform” suitable […]
New Partnership Enhances UAV Mapping Capabilities ideaForge Technology Limited, an India-based global drone technology company, has announced a new partnership with Inertial Labs, a global leader in inertial sensors and GPS systems. This collaboration integrates Inertial Labs’ RESEPI LiDAR solution into ideaForge’s high-performance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), representing a major step forward in UAV-based LiDAR […]
A giant Mickey Mouse crafted out of drones flying through the night sky made for not just an epic Bastille Day celebration over at Disneyland Paris — it broke a world record. Disneyland Paris has long been a leader in drone light shows. And in one of its more recent shows, put on by drone light show company Dronisos, the duo broke a Guinness World Record.
The record at hand? “Largest aerial display of a fictional character formed by multirotors / drones.” And the specific display? That was a spectacular, tricolor Mickey Mouse head made out of 1,571 drones.
The show occurred for the 2024 Bastille Day celebrations, which occur every year on July 14 to commemorate the start of the French Revolution and the end of the monarchy. Across France, celebrations involve fireworks. But at the Disney theme park just 32 kilometers east of Paris, celebrations incorporated drones too — and in particular a Mickey Mouse drone display.
About the record-breaking Mickey Mouse drone show
There are all sorts of drone-related Guinness World Records. There are even multiple types of Guinness World Records having to do with drones. For example, in May 2024, UVify set a record for most drones flown simultaneously when it put 5,293 light show drones in the air for a drone show in Songdo, South Korea.
But this particular Guinness World Record is tied to a “display specifically of a fictional character using drones.” And there’s perhaps no better fictional character to go with than world’s most famous mouse.
Here’s what Mickey Mouse looked like in drone form:
The specific Mickey Mouse, made out of 1,571 drones, was part of a broader drone show that incorporated 1,630 drones — including pyro-drones. (Yes, those are drones with fireworks attached.) Though, the show also featuring other famous Disney characters, such as the three fairies from “Sleeping Beauty” and Lumiere from “Beauty and the Beast.” It occurred in the sky above Sleeping Beauty Castle, which also starred in the show with lights and projections.
According to Dronisos, which is based in Bordeaux, the Bastille Day display featuring Mickey Mouse took months of planning.
After all, it was a much larger ordeal than the nightly drone show that Dronisos usually puts on at Disneyland Paris. That’s Disney Electrical Sky Parade, which features about 500 drones. Many have called the nighttime display one of the best drone show in the world, to-date. Based on the iconic 70s parade, this show takes the iconic soundtrack of electro-syntho-magnetic music, remixes it and sets drones to fly into shapes of the original parade’s most iconic floats such as a train and Elliott from the 1977 film “Pete’s Dragon.”
Check out the Disney Electrical Sky Parade in YouTube video form, below:
What drones did Disneyland Paris use in the Mickey Mouse record-breaking show?
Dronisos partners with another French drone company, Parrot. Parrot makes drones including the Mambo, Parrot Bebop 2 and Anafi. Meanwhile, Dronisos bought the license from Parrot to modify those three drones and turn them into light show drones.
For example, Dronisos took the Parrot Bebop 2, which is an affordable consumer drone and remade it into what it calls the Zephyr. With a light added to it, the Zephyr weighs 650 grams (that adds about 150 grams to the original, 500-gram weight of the Bebop 2). Still, it can fly for about 15 minutes and in wind speeds up to 25 km per hour.
How to watch a drone light show in 2024
Haven’t yet seen a drone light show for yourself? You need to!
And guess what? I’ve actually only seen one drone light show so far in my life. That was a Star Wars show put on by American drone company Sky Elements over in Oakland, California after an A’s baseball game. But, that’s about to change. This August, I’ll be heading to Disneyland Paris to check out what the excitement over the Disney Electrical Sky Parade is about — with my own eyes! Disney Electrical Sky Parade runs nightly at the theme park through Sept. 30, 2024 (weather-permitting).
Or perhaps you want to put on a drone show for yourself? It’s becoming increasingly accessible. The Drone Blocks light show drone kit costs about $7,500 and includes 10 swarm drones, plus software needed to put on a mini drone show. It’s primarily designed for STEM classrooms. Though, it could even work for small-scale drone shows.
Meanwhile, Drone Dojo offers another kit priced per drone ($1,000 per drone). The Drone Dojo light show kit isn’t quite as easy to use on the outset, but has far more options in the way of expansion and customization.
Do you enjoy reading this website? Better yet, do you want to support my trip to Disneyland Paris so I can document their Disney Electrical Sky Parade drone show? Please consider making a donation! This site runs via by both ad dollars and your donations — but the donations are far more valuable. Thank you in advance!
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. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. flew a company-owned MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft on July 15, 2024, with a PT6 E-Series model turboprop engine supplied by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Representatives from GA-ASI and Pratt & Whitney witnessed the first flight of the PT6 engine on MQ-9B, which lasted 44 minutes and demonstrated exemplary […]
