Make a Steamboat:

1. After doing some research and looking at the slide show above, have students construct a cardboard steamboat model using ideas from this link:
   
   www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/paddle-wheel-steamboat-lesson-plan/
   
   Start gathering listed materials at least a week prior to the construction of the boat.
2. Using information gathered during their research, students may write a short report on steamboats to present with their cardboard model.
3. Putt-putt boats are actual steam-powered toy boats that are made throughout the world. The construction of these boats is something only an adult should attempt, but if you know of someone who has the time and likes working with their hands, it seems like a very worthwhile project.
   
   Putt-putt boat description:
   
   www.sciencetoymaker.org/boat/index.htm
   
   Putt-putt boat instructions:
   
   www.sciencetoymaker.org/boat/makeBoat4_07.htm
4. Show your students this video of a putt-putt boat in operation. Be sure to turn up the sound:
   
   www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gj18sr8adk

Standards: NS.K-4.5 Science and Technology; NS.K-4.7 History and Nature of Science; NSS-USH.K-4.1 Living and Working Together in Families and Communities, Now and Long Ago; NA-VA.K-4.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes; NA-VA.K-4.2 Using Knowledge of Structures and Functions; NA-VA.K-4.4 Understanding the Visual Arts in Relation to History and Cultures