Milk Carton Boats

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This activity (on page 2 of the PDF SciGirls Activity: Milk Carton Boat) is a full inquiry investigation into boat hull design. Groups of learners will use empty half-pint milk cartons to fashion models of different boat shapes. Then, learners subject each design to a series of tests in a shallow wading pond or pool to collect enough data to determine the best design. Relates to linked video, DragonflyTV: Milk Carton Boat.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
4 to 24 hours
Estimated Materials Cost:
$10 - $20 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Model
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Thirty 1/2 pint milk cartons
  • One Hundred 1/2 gallon milk cartons
  • packing tape
  • 2-liter soda bottles
  • sand to fill the 2-liter bottles
  • 6 fishing bobbers, fish line and weights for each bobber
  • stopwatch
  • metric tape measure about 10 meters

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Ocean Engineering
      • Transportation Engineering
    • Technology
      • Transportation
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
      • Data Representation
    • Geometry
      • Solid Geometry
    • Measurement
      • Units of Measurement
      • Rate
  • Physical Sciences
    • Motion and Forces
      • Momentum and Velocity
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • About Inquiry
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results
  • The Nature of Technology
    • The Design Process
      • Research and Development
      • Invention and Innovation
      • Problem Solving
      • Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Informal Categories

  • Model Building
  • Outdoor Activity
  • Transportation

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • read
  • be mobile
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

  • Girls

    • Explicity developed for this group
    • Addresses bias against this group
    • Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
    • Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
    • Uses inclusive images of people from this group

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Source Collection

  • DragonflyTV

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., 2005

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation, 436260