Thursday, April 21, 2016

Boat Challenge #3 Information Sheets

Some of the students are very excited to make their boats move and have asked for the information sheets before we complete our movement experiments in class.

Here is the information.

Dear Grade 2 Parents and Guardians:
Our boat challenge is coming to an end!  All the students had fantastic boat designs.  We had a great wave challenge and it was warm enough to go outside and get a little wet.
Your child has seen some amazing boat designs in action.  Many are very excited to make their boat move.  I have sent your child’s boat home in order to add on to their design for the last challenge making their boat move.  Due to adding propellers and structures for movement their boat can be larger.  I have attached two basic movement design ideas (paddle boat and balloon jet boat) that can be altered to work for your child’s boat design.  As well, in the next 2 weeks we will be experimenting in class with different boat designs and movement in class to help give the students ideas for their boat. However, feel free to experiment with other movement designs. 

Due Monday, May 9nd
Our last boat challenge is to modify/or /recreate a boat that will move across a 4 foot area.  Please remember this is to be a fun activity for you and your child to work on together.  Only use household objects, as I do not want you to spend money on a boat which will probably end up sinking or falling apart.  Using household objects also makes it a fair competition for all the children in the class.

Thanks for your cooperation

Dina Hannon




Wind or Air Movement

Probably the most obvious way to propel a boat without touching it is to use air movement or wind.  Try creating a sail and blowing on it.  Sails are effective, although somewhat slow and hard to steer.  Sails are not in a fixed position on a boat.  Sails should be able to move (swing) in order to catch the wind in any direction             .
The Balloon Boat
(Students must be able to blow up and connect their own balloons to their boat)
What you need:
• a floating container (Styrofoam plate, plastic butter tub, milk carton, etc.)

• drinking straw with bendy tip
• rubber band
• balloon
• putty/clay/plasticine (optional)



What you do:
1. Poke a hole in your floating container as close to the size of the diameter of the
drinking straw as possible. The hole should be located in such a way that it will be
underwater as your boat floats.
2. Attach the balloon to the nonbendy end of the straw with the rubber band. Make the rubber band tight enough that the balloon won’t fly off, but not so tight that the straw gets crushed.
3. Poke the bendy end of the straw through the hole in the floating container. If
necessary, plug the space around the straw with clay.
4. Inflate the balloon through the straw and put your finger over the tip of the straw. Put
the straw underwater and let your finger off the tip.  
5. Experiment with the design—add a rudder, change the length of the straw, and use  your imagination.
Wind-up Propeller
What you need:
·         a floating container (Styrofoam plate, plastic butter tub, milk carton, etc.)
·         2 long pencils
·         Elastic band
·         Plastic tub lid
·         Duct tape




What you do:

1. Tape two pencils exactly opposite each other on two sides of the container. The pencils need to extend about 10 cm past the bottom of the bottle.
2. Cut a paddle from the plastic tub lid. Make it 2.5 cm x 5 cm.
3. Loop the rubber band over the end of each pencil.
4. Insert the paddle between the sides of the rubber band.
5. Turn the paddle round and round towards you, to wind the rubber band.
6. Place the boat in the basin of water and release the paddle.
The stretched rubber band creates the potential energy which is then transferred to kinetic energy. It is fast for short distances.
Magnet Repulsion

Remember moving train cars in a wooden train set by reversing the magnets. It works with an egg carton boat, too. The trick is to keep the magnets from filling over and attacting.

Detergent Power / Soap Propulsion
You may have seen instructions for a soap boat that actually moves.  This is not a chemical reaction, the movement has to do with the surface tension of the water.
What you need:
Scissors
Cardboard
Liquid detergent or washing up liquid
Toothpick
Cup
How to:
Cut out a small boat shape from the card.
Using the scissors, make a little notch in the cardboard at the back of the boat.
Place the boat gently on the water, so that it floats.
Pour some of the liquid detergent into the cup.
Use the toothpick to get a drop of liquid detergent on the end.
Place the drop of detergent in the notch in the end of the boat.

N.B. The experiment won't work if the water already has soap or detergent in it.


If you are looking for a challenge there are many examples on the internet of simple Chemical Reactions propelling a boat.
Chemical Reactions
·         Alka Seltzer tablet powered boats
·         Baking Soda and Vinegar.


The following are some great web-sites with Boat Ideas and instructions:

This site has different ideas for paddles using elastic bands and potential energy




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