I have 5 cool lighthouse facts and a fun chip can lighthouse craft. Also, look at this Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft
Besides, National Lighthouse Day is on August 7th. It’s a fun time to learn a bit of history.
Even if you don’t live on the coast of Cape Hatteras your child can learn about lighthouses, what they are for, where the most famous ones are, and how they were built.
Recycle a potato chip and make your own lighthouse that you can use for decor or as a nightlight with just a few basic craft items, a chip can, and a tealight.
Lighthouses were built to help guide ships onto the shore and help them avoid crashing into rocks using a bright light.
5 Cool Lighthouse Facts
- The first lighthouses were lit with open fires, eventually, they were lit through the use of candles, lanterns, and electric lights. Now they are electrically monitored and run by machines.
- The lights rotate in a circle, so sailors see flashing lights to guide them in.
- With a few modern improvements, there are still hundreds of lighthouses in the US that remain operational.
- The first true lighthouse was believed to have been built in Egypt over 2,000 years ago.
- For a period of sixteen years, the Statue of Liberty was used as a lighthouse for ships entering the New York Harbor. But it was too costly and was not considered an important navigational aid.
Lighthouses are iconic and beautiful, but their importance to the coast guard then and now is unarguable.
Also, add some of these books about lighthouses for a fun mini unit study.
Fun Books about Lighthouses
Lighthouses are a cool part of history and make for a fun day of learning.
A tour of more than 70 of the continent's most beautiful and important lighthouses.
Lighthouses of North America is a beautiful tribute to 71 lighthouses in the United States and Canada. The selection covers the full range of lighthouse architectural styles and represents all regions of the continent. The book opens with a brief but fascinating history of lighthouses, which traces their use from the Romans to the "golden age" of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when lighthouses became a strategic and commercial asset to seafarers.
A beloved picture book from two-time Caldecott Medal award-winner Sophie Blackall that transports readers to the seaside in timeless, nautical splendor! Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp's wick, and writes every detail in his logbook. Step back in time and through the door of this iconic lighthouse into a cozy dollhouse-like interior with the extraordinary award-winning artist Sophie Blackall.
From bestselling author Michael Morpurgo comes a beautifully illustrated classic story for ages 9 to 12 about a lighthouse keeper, a daring rescue and puffins, for fans of War Horse and The One and Only Ivan.As a child, Allen is saved from a nautical disaster by Benjamin Postlethwaite, a solitary lighthouse keeper. Years later, Allen returns to the lighthouse, and the two nurse an injured young puffin back to health. When Allen is called up to fight in World War Two, he's not sure he'll see his mother or Benjamin again, but his fond memories of his time at the lighthouse keep him going, even through prison camp.Allen and Ben's enduring friendship over the years is the basis for this story about friendship, art, war and an incredibly adorable puffin. From masterful storyteller Michael Morpurgo and world-class illustrator Benji Davies comes this truly beautiful tale which will enchant readers of all ages.
Follow Thomas Knox through a day of work at Boston Light. As we learn about some of the daily tasks and responsibilities of a colonial lighthouse keeper, Knox’s reminiscences tell the reader the history of
Boston Light, while we also learn what some of his daily responsibilities might have been. Knox, and other lighthouse keepers like him, maintained the lighthouse, lit its huge lanterns nightly, and monitored the weather. When a storm arose, Knox often risked his life to save sailors whose boats crashed on the rocks beyond the lighthouse.
Enjoy one or more of the crafts below as you learn about the history, architecture, and contributions that lighthouses and their operators have made to sailors for many years.
More Lighthouse Crafts & Activities
- Have your child locate famous lighthouses throughout the world on a map for a simple geography lesson.
- Learn How to Make a Clay Pot Lighthouse tutorial to create a decoration for the garden.
- Watch How Do Lighthouses Work on YouTube to understand more about how they function.
- Have your child place a list of lighthouses in alphabetical order to include some language lessons in the theme.
- Make a Toilet Paper Roll Lighthouse Craft for a great upcycled idea.
- I really enjoy easy and fun crafts made from common household items like this Paper Plate Cardboard Roll Lighthouse Craft.
- Recreate this cute little Lighthouse Cupcake Liner Craft, it is quick and easy to boot!
Check out the Easy How to Draw a Lighthouse Tutorial and Lighthouse Coloring Page
Grab Ocean Anatomy to learn about lighthouses and all around them from creatures to waves to boats.
I thought I had exhausted all the wonderful content in Ocean anatomy for sharks, icebergs, fish, coral reefs, etc but then I came across several pages that talked about lighthouses and where some of the most famous ones are located as well as the moving Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
Make sure you grab one if you don’t already have one on your shelves, these books are absolute treasures.
Finally, look how to make this fun chip can lighthouse craft.
Chip Can Lighthouse
You will need:
- An empty, clean chip can
- Red construction paper
- White construction paper
- Battery powered tealight
- Black marker
- Small plastic clear cup or bowl
- Glue
First, be sure to rinse out and completely dry the inside of the chip can to remove any crumbs or grease.
Next, trim your white paper to fit the can.
I found it only had to take off maybe a quarter of an inch on a standard piece of construction paper, and a few inches off the length so it just barely overlapped in the back.
Apply glue all over the can and roll your paper around it, smoothing out the bubbles.
Cut red construction paper into three strips and then glue them to the top of the white paper, wrapped around the can. Be sure to secure the ends with extra glue.
Use a black marker to draw on windows and any other details that you would like.
Now attach your light flip over the lid from the can and trace the tea light.
Cut out the circle that you traced in the middle of the lid slightly smaller than the outline you drew so that the tea light doesn’t fall through.
You want to place the tea light so that the battery pack and the on/off switch are accessible through the lid.
Draw window lines on your clear plastic up or bowl.
Place the lid with the attached light back on top of the can and add a bead of hot glue all the way around the top.
Quickly press the clear cup into the glue so it stays in place.
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