Boat Crafts for Kids
- Toy boats don't have to be bought in stores.toy sailboat image by Kimberly Reinick from Fotolia.com
Boats are fun to play with because they allow kids to use their imaginations. But the building of boats can be just as fun as playing with boats. Building boats out of household materials also provides an inexpensive alternative to simply buying the boat from a store or catalog. By using soda bottles, school supplies or outdoor natural materials, children can build different boats in different ways. - Soda bottles create shells for boats.soda-water in huge bottle image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
The simplest plastic "bottle boat" needs very little alteration, but to feed into the fantasy you should first remove all labels. Using children's scissors, cut the bottle in half from spout to bottom. After the bottle is halved, take either half and lay the bottle (dome side up) on a piece of cardboard or paper. Trace the outline of the bottle and then cut the shape from the paper or cardboard. Glue the new deck (use waterproof or water-resistant glue if you have it) onto the cut side of the bottle. Cut out a paper triangle wedge, tape the wedge to a pencil and stick the pencil through the deck to create a mast and sail. - It's easy to build a natural raft.Raft in Pang-Uhng Lake image by Yongyoot from Fotolia.com
The earliest boats were built from trees and plants. With a few minor advances, you can build simple, tiny navigable replicas. To build a small raft, gather a few dozen sticks. The size of the sticks is not important as long as the sticks are relatively the same length and straight. Push the sticks together to form an unbound raft. Using twine, yarn, string or even natural vines (for true survivalists), weave the string under and over the two ends of the sticks. Do this back and forth at least twice, pulling the line taut as you weave. Tie a knot on each side and test the raft's seaworthiness. To build a mast, simply tie a leaf to a small twig and jam the twig into the middle of the two centermost sticks. - A mound of seashells can become a fleet of boats.shells n rocks image by PD-Images.com from Fotolia.com
Everything you need to build a miniature marina is at the beach. First, create a contained body of water. The pit for your marina can be as large as you want, but a few feet in each direction is a good size. If you are close to the shoreline, dig down until you hit water to create a natural spring. Shape the outer edge of your marina and jam a piece of driftwood into one of the sides to simulate a dock. Pick up any full shell that will float, along with any twigs or pieces of seaweed. Leaves, if present, will also work. Fashion sails from seaweed and twigs. Use wet sand to act as a foundation for the mast inside the shell. When your fleet is complete, deposit the boats into the water.
