Building Boats

 

Some of the tamariki were curious as to why I had put a container of water on the table with a pile of recycled containers for them to explore.

Following up from a mat time with Jojo where she talked about floating and sinking, I wondered if the children would enjoy making their own boats.

We looked at a picture book that had different types of boat, picked out a base, used playdough to make a mast and tested to see if the boat would float!

Using early scientific thinking skills, we first predicted if we thought each boat would work, then we observed and problem solved. When our boats didn’t work we talked about why! When our boats did work, we also discussed how it could sink.   For fun, we tested how many Duplo characters could sit safely in the boat ! 

Some children’s initial thoughts and understandings were challenged by what they saw. This sort of activity, paired with questioning helps to develop critical thinking skills, but it’s also a fun and engaging way to explore properties of items whilst still expressing their creative flare through construction with loose parts!