Boats Lesson Plan
Materials
tin foil
pennies
scissors
scotch tape
computer paper (for sails)
wooden skewers (for masts)
clay to stand the skewers in?
plastic tubs
Lesson
1. As kids enter the class, have them sit down and get started on worksheets. Each
tutor helps the kids at one table and keeps them on task and quiet.
2. When most of the students have arrived, the lesson leader explains the first activity:
The Penny Challenge
Students work in pairs/small groups to build a boat out of tin foil that will hold as many
pennies as possible without sinking. Each boat is made out of a 12"-long piece of tin foil.
The students should experiment with a few different designs; they can use new pieces
of tin foil for new designs. Tutors should encourage them to try different shapes for the
boat and different heights for the sides of the boat.
3. Once all the pairs at a table have tried different boat designs and found one that they
like, they will move on to the second activity:
The Sail Challenge
Staying in pairs/small groups, students will make tin foil sail boats. The goal is to get
them to go as fast and straight as possible when we turn on a fan behind them. Each
boat can use 12" of tin foil, 3 skewers, and one sheet of paper. Again, the students
should try out a few different designs. Ask them how the shape of this boat is different
from the shape of their first boat. With this one, it's important to make the boats so that's
it's easy to take the sail down and put it back up, because otherwise they'll probably get
ruined at some point before the Science Olympics. The tubs will be pretty short, so it
might be a little hard for the kids to tell exactly how good their boats are.