Experience & Learn

SINK OR FLOAT

Audience: Recommended for grades 1-3 and 8

This cross-curricular program blends science and history through a hands-on STEAM activity, inspired by our local history of boat building. Students will begin by exploring buoyancy through materials that sink or float, before putting their learning to use in a boat building challenge. Students will work in teams to design a boat, selecting appropriate materials for the project before bringing the design to life, after which their boat will be put through a series of “stress tests”. This is an engaging, hands-on activity that will challenge your students to think critically, problem solve, and work collaboratively, all while learning about their city’s history.

Primary (Grades 1-3)

Students will explore a variety of materials to determine which ones will make the best boat. They will examine buoyant, and waterproof materials, and will then put them to use in the build challenge. Students will examine the ways in which their structures can be strengthened for a specific purpose, especially with varied forces acting on their vessel.

Intermediate (Grade 7-8)

Students will explore buoyancy through a hands-on challenge to construct a boat. They will examine the forces that act on a vessel, purpose-built design materials, and systems of propulsion, all of which will be put to use in their own boat. In this challenge, students will put their creativity and problem-solving skills to the test as they attempt to make a water-worthy vessel.