Boating Challenges for Young Minds – Challenge 1

Are you a kid at heart, hoping to never grow up? Or are you a parent or friend of a parent with kids who love boats? Winter is a long time to be dreaming about holding on to the tiller of an outboard attached to the transom of a sea flea. What boating fun can children enjoy that will keep the waterborne spark alive? There are all kinds of crafty ideas and science and math ideas to challenge young boaters. While this blog typically looks at events and history surrounding wooden boats, I thought it might be fun to offer some ways to keep youngsters and possibly even adults, engaged through the winter months. All the ideas below are intended for children between the ages of about 5 to 10 and can be enjoyed using “found” materials. It might be a good idea to have a “craft” centre space set aside for these challenges. It would be handy to set aside a container for tools and basic materials such as scissors, tape, mucilage or white wood glue, pencil, ruler, etc., as appropriate for the age, interest and abilities of your child. Below is an introductory challenge to get a young mind curious about the properties of materials as they relate to bouyancy. More challenges are on the way!

Challenge 1: Buoyancy:

Materials:

(Just a sample list)

• Plastic containers, Styrofoam, small pieces of wood,

1. Task: Search around the house for articles that you know will float. Select four or five different objects. (Examples might be a chunk of Styrofoam, a milk container, yoghurt container, piece of wood, bottle cap, etc.)

Question/discussion: what are the characteristics of these objects that give them buoyancy? Ask your young boater to be as specific as possible. Use an internet search to learn details about the materials chosen.

2. Task: Select and sort the materials that you think would be best suited for building a floating craft. Extension challenges to the task could include materials that would help the craft carry a load, flow more efficiently, take a motor or sail, handle rough water, etc.

By Tim Du Vernet