Activities


Station 2: Buoyancy (Reach Module 2)


The kids will design and construct a (sail) boat that can float and carry the maximum load. The key concepts are gravity pushing down while buoyancy pushes up on their boats. By increasing the surface area of your boat, they can displace more water and carry a heavier load. Once the kids have designed their boats, they will place them in a bin filled with fresh water. Then they will add the cargo (weight) to their boat. Have a leader board so the kids can


add their names and maximum load. For example, Luke: 40 marbles. Feel free to add design constraints on materials used for the boat (4oz of clay), you can establish a minimum or a maximum length and width for the hull to set design parameters. Another adjustment would be to provide a lot of reused materials such as water bottles (you can precut them in different shapes) to add more variation in designs.


Investigative Question: How does this boat float?


Materials  Bin (for testing boats)  Boat materials: Clay, tin foil, plastic


water bottles, straws, chop sticks, paper for sails, tape


 Cargo: flat decorative marbles, washers or pennies


 Paper towels for clean up


 Trash bag for clean up  Whiteboard or bulletin board  Optional: Scale to measure the cargo weight (it will get wet)


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