Sail Away

Bring a wave of high sea adventure to your own living room with these sailboat crafts!

This activity is pulled from our Virtual ExCEL Camps happening summer of 2020! While these activities are written to fit into the larger lesson plan of the camp themes, you can complete them with your little one at any time. Learn more about our Virtual ExCEL Summer Camp here!

Appropriate Age Range: 5 years of age and up

Materials Needed:

• Sponges (about 4”x3”x1/2”)
• Wood Skewers (used 8″ skewers but 12″ is fine)
• construction paper
• scissors
• wire cutters
• glue

Vocab:
Some of these terms may seem brand new so take some time to look them up and they will be part of your vocabulary too: skewer, absorb, float, buoyancy

Activity:

For the boat, cut sponges in half or thirds.  Then to make the sails, fold a small piece of construction paper in half and cut a triangle out on the fold. Glue the fold together on the top of the skewer.  Stick the skewers through the sponges and leave 1-2” inches sticking out of the bottom of the sponge.  Finally, it is time to sail!  Place your boat in water, the sponge will have to absorb water before it will float.

Outcome:
Your boat may tip over or the sail may get wet, if this happens try using a different sized sail or sponge to find out what works best.  You also might want to try racing your sailboat by blowing on the sails and seeing whose boat gets to the other side first!

Extensions:

No sponges, No problem!  There are all kinds of different ways to make sailboats.

https://www.coloradoparent.com/cork-sailboat-craft/

https://theinspirationboard.com/soap-boat/

https://ourfamilyofseven.com/pool-noodle-boats/

Instructors:

Leslie McNeil, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments

Leslie McNeil worked at the Georgia Academy for the Blind as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired.  While there she was a camp instructor for summer camps and weekend camps.  She also taught in the after school program for enrichment activities for students.  Currently, she is one of the Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments for Columbia County School district in Georgia.

Jessica Kaminski, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments

Jessica Kaminski is one of the Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments for the Columbia County School district in Georgia. During her thirteen years of teaching, she has worked by providing extended school year services or as an instructor for Camp All-Stars for children with special needs.