Clay itself sinks, but clay boats float. Why? Young engineers build clay boats to learn about buoyancy. They test the weight the boats can hold using washers and then tweak their designs to make improvements, following the engineering...

Scholars build a boat using an assortment of materials such as foam plates, aluminum foil, and skewers, then test its buoyancy with pennies. Challenge boat builders to construct the strongest or fastest boat in a healthy competition with...

Fifth graders apply the concepts they know regarding mass, volume and density in the previous activities to design a boat. Student teams must make a boat which can travel the waters of the Amazon Rainforest. Each group makes a...

Eureka! Using the clay boats made in the previous lesson, learners investigate the idea of buoyancy and water displacement to finish the last installment of five in a Floaters and Sinkers unit. Their observations during the activity...

Use whatever material floats your boat. Working in groups, scholars decide on a type of metal and a type of coating to use for building a boat. They test their creations by leaving their boats in a pool of water for several days before...

Learners design and build full-size boats made out of two-liter plastic bottles, chicken wire, and plywood. Then they race the boats, with the boat's designers "manning the hull", in the school's swimming pool.

What did the sea say to the boat? Nothing, it just waved. An inquiry-based lesson starts with a simple concept on the Archimedes Principle and challenges pupils to make something out of clay that floats. Then, they design an object out...

This open-ended boat building exercise is meant to be part of a three-lesson series on ships. Links to the other two lessons are included. This particular part is mostly a group lab activity in which they build a boat, find its load line...

Let's go sailing! An instructive unit includes six lessons with multiple activities to teach scholars about density, center of gravity, buoyancy, and the Archimedes Principle. They can complete the final project of building a boat on a...

Keep one's dream of becoming an engineer afloat. Learners apply the engineering design process to build a boat out of aluminum foil. They start with a square boat, then consider whether boats of different shapes would be able to hold...

Don't be a drag. Learners work in groups to design boats that move slowly. The provided reason for the activity is that a fish caught on a fishing reel is pulling the boat, causing it to move too fast. The STEM activity teaches the class...

Teach your young adventurers about boating basics, such as boating terminology, knots, key aspects of the boat, and how to determine a boat's capacity. This resource is a good way to get started on learning how to water ski. There are...

Lesson 20 is part of a 22 lesson plan unit on boat safety and water sports. The focus in this lesson plan is getting up on the wake board. If you click on the resource link at the bottom of the page, there is another resource link that...

When water skiing or wake boarding, hand signals are the most effective way of communicating. Use this lesson on boat safety to ensure that your youngsters are using the proper precautions before engaging in water sports.

Boat safety lesson 18 is all about the wake board.  The class learns the terminology about wake boards and discusses the different types of ropes used. Much of the information regarding boating basics, personal floatation devices, and...

What should you always carry on a boat? Learners must solve ten addition and subtraction problems to solve this riddle. The equations include single and double-digit numbers, but no negative numbers are used. They also don't need to...

What are the basic first aid supplies that should be on a boat? What should be done when someone stops breathing and/or their heart stops beating? Lesson three is only one of twenty-two lessons on boat safety. This lesson is about first...

Boat safety lesson 7 (out of 22) focuses on the fundamental body position for water skiing. This is done using a water skiing training machine. If you click on the resource link at the bottom of the page, you can view all the lesson...

Lesson 13 is part of a twenty-two lesson unit on boat safety and water sports. The focus in this lesson is water skiing and using a two-foot start to be able to get up and out of the water. Click on the resource link at the bottom of the...

Lesson 15 is part of a 22 lesson plan unit on boat safety and water sports. The focus in this lesson plan is on getting up on the water ski using one foot. It is suggested to click on the resource link at the bottom of the page to view...

Fourth graders explore the concept of mass and buoyancy. After building boats out of several materials, they predict whether each boat floats if certain objects are added. Students test their predictions and draw conclusions from their...

Lesson 2 is part of a twenty-two lesson unit on boat safety and water sports. The focus in this lesson is on personal flotation devices. There are reasons why the law requires PFDs. Click on the resource link at the bottom of the page to...

Water skiing laws exist for the safety of all concerned. Proper equipment is just as important as following all the laws concerning safety. Lesson 5 is part of a unit on boat safety and water sports. There are links at the bottom of the...

Lesson 8 of 22 lessons on boat safety and water sports concerns making adjustments to situations while skiing behind the boat. Young water skiers practice on the Perfect Pull Machine. Click on the resource link at the bottom of the page...