Paper Boats

This is a great activity for a warm summer’s day. You will need a supply of paper, some paper clips or sellotape, and some small objects that are all the same weight. We’ve used marbles here, but if you haven’t got any marbles, how about the pennies from that jar you were saving for a trip to the amusement arcade? Finally, you will need somewhere to float your boats – a washing-up bowl half full of water will do. Or a paddling pool perhaps…….

To make your boat, take a piece of A4 paper. It doesn’t have to be blank, but it is best if it doesn’t have too many folds in it already. Make a fold on each side, about 2 cm from the edge.

Now push the folds at one corner together. The paper makes a triangle shape, which you can fold on to one of the edges and hold in place with a paper clip. Or with sellotape.

Do this for all four corners

Now float your boat on some water, and add marbles one at a time. How many can you load before the boat sinks?

Try different sizes of side.

Try different sizes of boat.

Try different types of paper.

For more paper boat activities see Brunel and the Great Eastern

For careers related to this activity see Transport and Aerospace

For a poem about the safety of boats at sea Samina and the Coal Boat