Craft Kits

A small sampling of the kinds of crafts Spring-Mar kids will get to create as part of Learn Through Play curriculum.

Cork Sailing Boat

Instructions Download:

Download Cork Sailing Boat Instructions

Skills Built:

In this activity children will create a sailboat. They’ll bring their creative vision to life and build fine motor skills through manipulating rubber bands, toothpicks, and slips of paper. Playing with the completed boat offers opportunities for learning about buoyancy and wind power.

Materials:A completed boat. The body of the boat is comprised of three cylindrical corks fastened together with rubber bands. The boat has a red paper sail with a round panda sticker in the center, a yellow triangular flag at the top of the mast, and a black string.

  • 3 corks
  • 2 rubber bands
  • 1 sail
  • 1 toothpick
  • 1 paper flag
  • 1 panda sticker
  • string (optional)
  • tape/glue (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Line the corks up in a row, long sides together. Place your rubber bands around the three corks on both ends, about a finger’s width in from the round cork bottoms. Remember to keep the corks flat like a raft.
  2. (Optional) Tie a string around a rubber band to pull the boat.
  3. Stick the sharper end of the toothpick into the middle cork by pressing firmly to make a hole.
  4. Add the panda sticker and any other decoration you’d like to the square piece of paper.
  5. Slide the sail onto the toothpick mast through slits cut into the paper.
  6. Add the small triangle flag to the very top of the mast with some tape or glue if desired.

Now that you’ve made a boat, it’s time to bring it to some water and observe how it works.

The boat floats in water, and bobs back up to the surface if pushed down (gently, to keep the sail dry). It moves across the surface of the water when pulled by the string.

The boat also can be wind powered. Blow into the paper sail to push the boat across the water. Observe the speed of the boat when you blow a gentle wind and a strong wind.

Learning Extensions:

  • The corks feel light to hold, and floats in water. What other things around your house do you think will float? What would sink?
    • Corks are full of air from many holes inside.  Can you think of anything else that is full of air? Would that item sink or float on water?
  • The boat can be pulled by the string, or pushed by wind. Are there other objects you can see nearby that can be pushed by wind?
    • If you blow into the side of the sail, rather than into the middle, the boat may spin. Is there anything else that spins when the wind blows?