Construct a Wind-Powered Boat

Materials:

• Juice box
• 2 straws
• Grape-size piece of modeling clay
• Sheet of paper
• 2 toothpicks
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Roll of clear tape
• Paper towels

Instructions:

1. Carefully remove the straw from the juice box. Lay the juice box — longest side down — on a paper towel. Use a pencil to pierce the center of the juice box. Carefully squeeze all the juice into a cup so you can drink it later.
2. Cut a rectangle from the front of the juice box. Use the hole you punched with the pencil to get started. Leave a 1/4-inch border around the edge of the opening to stop water from splashing in when you set sail. This will be the basic structure of the boat.
3. Draw the pattern for the sail on the sheet of paper and cut it out. Use the pencil to make two holes in the sail — one in the top and one in the bottom. Weave a straw through the openings and use the toothpicks to hold it in place by pushing them through the paper around the straw. Tape the toothpicks to the paper if necessary.
4. Roll the clay into a small ball; push the ball into the boat so it attaches to the bottom. Push the straw into the clay so the straw is standing upright.
5. Cut the second straw in half and tape it to the front of the boat as a forepeak.
6. Go outside and set the boat sailing in a kiddie pool or bucket.

Follow-up questions:
Does the shape of the sail matter?
Are there other recyclables you can use to make a boat?
How would you make the boat go faster?
Do you think two sails would work better than one? Why or why not?