It’s time to set sail on an adventure with these ship craft ideas from Viking ships to the RMS Titanic. Also, you’ll love the ideas I have on my page RMS Titanic Unit Study and Free Lapbook.
I have a tutorial and loads of other ideas to encourage any type of sailor.
Besides, ships were once the only source of transport between lands,
They were used for exploration, migration, moving cargo, fighting wars, pirating, and even for entertainment.
Egyptians, Romans, Vikings, Pilgrims, Pirates, and more made their way across vast stretches of water on boats or ships.
Ships have come a long way in how they are built, navigated, and used but they are no doubt still important to us.
We have also learned much and made a lot of advancements through ships of old like the Titanic, The Mayflower, The HMS Victory, and the USS Enterprise.
Today’s craft celebrates these ships and a fun and unique hobby that highlights them- a ship in a bottle.
5 Facts About Ships
- Ships use the term “knots” a nautical mile per hour in navigation.
- The word quarantine comes from the Italian words- quaranta giorni meaning forty days. This comes from the Venetian policy of quarantining ships from places stricken with the plague for 40 days to keep those on board from infection.
- Vessels that are intended for navigating coastal and inland waters are usually called boats and ocean-going vessels are called ships. For example, ships are also usually larger than boats.
- The Seawise Giant was the longest ship ever constructed at 1,504.1 ft. long in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Furthermore, the earliest historical evidence of boats is found in Egypt during the 4th millennium BCE.
Ship Craft Ideas Resources
Here are more resources.
Ship Vocabulary
Next, look at some of these vocabulary words about ships.
Bow – Front of the ship.
Starboard – Right side of the ship.
Port – Left side of the ship.
Stern – Back of the ship.
Aft – In the direction of the stern.
Astern – Behind the ship.
Bridge – The room where the ship is controlled.
Cabin – The room where a crew member lives.
Decks -Floors.
Galley – Kitchen.
Brig – Prison cells on the ship.
Hold – The area inside the ship used to carry goods.
Hull – Main body of the ship.
Keel – Beam running from stern to bow.
Mast – A center pole on which sails are hung.
Next, look at these fun ship craft ideas.
Ship Craft Ideas
You'll love these ship craft ideas for hands-on kids.
From reading fun books to STEM projects, this Viking Unit gave us a vast insight to where exploration began and helped set the stage for the Age of Exploration. Studying the Vikings is not a standard that is mandated by our state, but I still wanted the kids to be interested in these explorers who were instrumental in changing the world.
Ahoy, matey! Arrrr you ready for the craft idea we’ve got for you today? Yes, these Nature Stick Pirate Ships Craft are really fun!
We made these upcycled cardboard model ship recreations of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.© Hands-on History: Make an Upcycled Cardboard Model Ship • Crafting a Green WorldSource
To add to our collection we’ve made this super fun moving mayflower craft for kids. It’s really easy to make with the printable template and you simply wiggle the popsicle stick handle to make your ship sail along the ocean waves!
. How to make paper boat. I How to make paper ship
This unit just felt like we needed to turn the file folder sideways or horizontal to get the full length of the Titanic. So all minibooks were created for a horizontal file folder. Here is one way we arranged the minibooks.
Use wood craft sticks to create your own Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria ships.
Finally, add this fun easy ship in a bottle to your ship craft ideas.
Ship Craft Ideas | How to Make an Easy Ship in a Bottle
You will need:
- 2-liter or 3-liter bottle
- Wood scrap
- White craft foam
- Wood coffee stirrers
- Twine
- White school glue
- Blue craft paint
- Brown craft paint
- Black craft paint
- Box cutter
- Clear tape
- Hot glue gun/stick
First, start by peeling off the label and cleaning out the bottle with warm soapy water.
Use a box cutter to make a “door” on one side of the bottle.
Make it large enough to insert your ship.
However, it has to be small enough that when you lay it down you can’t see it from the sides. I made my cuts 2 ½” by 6” for my 3-liter bottle.
Next, you want to start making your boat model.
Moreover, use scrap cardboard to cut out a boat shape 5” long by 2” wide as well as a piece as long as the back.
And one for either side to make the sides- 1”-1 ½” tall is a good height.
Hot glue the sides to the bottom of the boat and fill in any gaps with additional hot glue.
Be sure to test your ship and make certain that it will fit in the door you cut in the bottom.
Now, paint the ship as you like, to give it a wood look, paint a tan/brown and distress it with black, allow it to dry completely.
The next thing you are going to do is cut down two wooden stir sticks to about 3”.
In addition, hot glue them into place in the center of your ship, and add two small scrap pieces of cardboard to either side of each one to stabilize it.
Cut sails from white craft foam.
Hot glue into place.
Carefully slide the ship into the door you made on the bottom.
Mix ½ cup of glue with a ¼ cup of blue paint.
Easy Ship in a Bottle
Also, tape along the cuts in the bottom with tape, be sure to secure it so the paint mixture doesn’t drip out.
Carefully pour into the opening of the bottle.
Further, rotate the bottle, coating the bottom and slightly up the sides with a paint mixture to create water.
Additionally, add more as needed to cover the very bottom of the boat and you should also be able to easily slide the boat around at this point.
Allow the paint and glue mixture to dry for a few days.
However, you want to do this with the cap off or moisture will form condensation on the inside of the bottle.
Bottle Ship
In addition, once the mixture is dry the boat will be held in place, color the cap with a brown permanent marker to resemble a cork and screw it back on.
Wrap twine around to cover the neck of the bottle and give it a more nautical feel.
Lastly, apply hot glue to the wooden scrap (you can find thick planks of wood at Dollar Tree).
Allow it to cool a bit, press the bottle down into it, and hold it in place until it cools and hardens.
Now, your bottom cut is now disguised.
