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Supported by Royal Navy

Build a mini paddle boat

Make a mini paddle boat and watch as kinetic energy powers it along.

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You’ll need

  • (this equipment list is per paddle boat)
  • 1 shallow plastic container
  • 4 elastic bands
  • 2 pencils
  • Thick cardboard
  • Scissors
  • A paddling pool or big container of water

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples can be found here. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.

Running this activity

  1. Gather everyone together and tell them that you’re going to be making mini paddleboats. 
  2. Ask everyone to get into pairs. Each team of two needs enough materials to make one mini paddleboat.
  3. Wrap two of the elastic bands around the plastic container.
  4. Next, strap each pencil on either side of the container by placing them within the elastic bands. The elastic bands should hold the pencils in place.
  5. Take another elastic band and place it over the ends of the two pencils. This should connect just the two pencils together. The elastic bands should be about 1cm down from the top or bottom of the pencil. Repeat this with the other side of the pencils. These elastic bands will help to balance the boat out.
  6. Draw out four hexagonal (6 sided) shapes onto the cardboard, then carefully cut out shapes. They should be small enough to fit in the space between the two pencils. 
  7. After the hexagonal shapes have been cut out, cut one slit from the middle of any side up until the middle of each shape. It may help to draw a dot in the middle, so you know where to stop.
  8. Next, slot the two hexagonal shapes together. They should make an X shape. Repeat this for the other two shapes. These shapes will be your rotating paddle. 
  9. Place one side of one paddle in between elastic the bands that are holding the pencils together, not the ones holding the pencils to the container. Repeat this with the other paddle on the other side. You need to fit a paddle to each end for balance.
  10. For the next part of the activity, you’ll need access to water to test the paddleboats. This could be in a full sink or washing up bowl. You could also use a paddling pool or a laundry basket with a bin bag placed in. 
  11. When you’re ready, twist the paddles to wind them up within the elastic band. 
  12. Keeping hold of the twisted elastic bands, place the boat on the water and let them go. You could try to race them! 

Reflection

This activity was all about making a working paddleboat. How did you find making the boat? Did you manage to get your boat to work or move in the end? How easy or difficult was it to wind the paddles up? Did it work better or not as well as you expected? What is an adjustment that could be made?  

What do you think paddleboats were used for? Paddleboats often used steam too, so-called Paddle steamers or Steamboats. Paddle steamers used the power of steam to turn the paddles. They proved a popular method of commercial and passenger transportation along the Mississippi River and other inland U.S. rivers in the 1900s. Their relative speed and ability to travel against the water’s current reduced time and expense. 

Why do you think the boats moved? The elastic bands helped to move the paddles. The wound-up elastic bands have potential energy (the energy stored within an object, due to the object's position, arrangement or state). This is converted into kinetic energy (the energy an object has because of its motion), so the paddleboat is pushed forward as the elastic bands unwind and make the paddles move. 

We used the plastic container as it was light, and it could float. What are some other ways you could make a model boat? What materials could you use? Could you make a boat that you could fit into? 

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Science

Supervise young people, and only do science activities that are advised and age appropriate for your section. Test activities first, to make sure you’re confident you can lead them safely. Use protective clothing where necessary.

Scissors

Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

Visits away from your meeting place

Complete a thorough risk assessment and include hazards, such as roads, woodland, plants, animals, and bodies of water (for example, rivers, ponds, lakes, and seas). You’ll probably need more adult helpers than usual. Your risk assessment should include how many adults you need. The young people to adult ratios are a minimum requirement. When you do your risk assessment, you might decide that you need more adults than the ratio specifies. Think about extra equipment that you may need to take with you, such as high visibility clothing, a first aid kit, water, and waterproofs. Throughout the activity, watch out for changes in the weather and do regular headcounts. 

An adult volunteer or young leader should offer help to anyone who needs it during the make or with specific steps. People could also work with a partner or in a small group, so they can help each other

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.