Forces in Action: Year 4’s Boat-Building Challenge

In Science, Year 4 have been learning about forces, including pushes and pulls, friction, air resistance and water resistance. This week, they investigated gravity and buoyancy through a practical STEM challenge. Each child designed and made a boat from tin foil, considering which shape would have the best buoyancy. They then tested their designs by seeing how many marbles each boat could hold before sinking. 

The children excitedly counted as marbles were added to each boat. It was interesting to compare the different designs and see how the shape of each boat affected its ability to float and carry weight. The children also enjoyed cooling off as they retrieved the sunken boats and marbles from the water. 

The most successful boat held 59 marbles before sinking. The activity provided an excellent opportunity for the children to explore how different forces act on objects, while also keeping cool.