Boats & Ships

First, they’ll take a look at how boats and ships differ, and then they’ll learn about the materials that can be used to build them, including logs, fiberglass, and iron. Next, they’ll compare the ways boats and ships can be powered – by muscles, wind, or engines – and investigate the many forms they can take: from the basic, like the kayak, to the bizarre, like the New Guinea Lakatoi, which has sails shaped like crab claws.

Then it’s time to watch boats and ships in action. Kids will read about how some are used for fun – as in sailboats, yachts, and cruise ships – and others for transportation, in the form of ferries and water taxis. Whether they’re vehicles of trade, like cargo ships and oil tankers, or hard-working fishing trawlers, people around the world depend on boats. For kids interested in warfare, there’s an overview of battleship history, and kids curious about shipwrecks can read about the Titanic, the Lusitania, and the Andrea Gail – which was the subject of the hit film The Perfect Storm. Finally, their trip ends with cruise through a “hall of fame” just for boats; for kids who always have to know about the biggest, longest, and fastest of everything, this part will become a favorite reference.