Ready to explore the world of engineering with a fun STEAM challenge?
Invite your child to become an engineer and design and build their very own boat using a variety of different materials. Encourage creativity and problem solving by including recycled items and open-ended building supplies.
Gather Materials
Collect a variety of supplies—drawing utensils, paper, aluminum foil, plastic bottles, cardboard, food containers, straws, tape, ODDY Building Kits, and more! It’s also fun to have figurines to test the boat's strength and stability.
Design the Boat
Ask your child to draw their boat design on paper, thinking about how to ensure it floats and is strong enough to hold weight. Guide them in choosing waterproof materials and how to seal the boat to keep water out.
*Tip: It’s a good idea to begin by asking your child what they already know about boats and then build on that knowledge by watching videos, reading informational books, and/or looking at pictures of various boats.
Build the Boat
Allow your child to construct their boat using the materials provided, encouraging creativity and problem-solving.
Test the Boat
Fill a large container with water or use a bathtub, pool, creek, lake, or large puddle to test their boat to see if it floats. Add figurines one at a time or other objects (rocks, coins, etc.) to see how much weight the boat can hold.
Evaluate and Improve
Discuss what worked well and what could be improved, encouraging children to make modifications and test their boats again and again.
As you wrap up the boat-building challenge, celebrate the creativity, engineering skills, and fun of the experience! Remind your child that the key to innovation is learning by doing; each attempt is an experiment that helps refine ideas. Whether their boat sailed smoothly or needed a few tweaks, it was a fantastic step into the world of STEAM. Keep dreaming and building!
Read more about STEM and STEAM HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Shop some of our STEM collections HERE and HERE.
Discover Arts and Craft Supplies HERE.