Our backyard is surrounded by tree and every spring there is a plethora of twigs to collect. This year we put them to good use to make a twig boat craft. The kids loved playing with it in the backyard but we had to see if it would actually float in water. Your kids will to make this fun floating craft. Making a twig boat craft is a wonderful mix of being outdoors enjoying nature and crafting something out of something as simple as a twig!
Materials Need for Twig Boat Craft
- Twigs similar in size
- Elastic bands
- Foam Sheet for the sail
How to Make a Twig Boat Craft
- Gather Twigs: Collect a bunch of twigs from your yard or a nearby park. Try to get twigs that are relatively straight and similar in length.
- Align the Twigs: Lay out the twigs side by side in a row to form the base of the boat. Make sure they are touching each other.
- Secure the Base: Take an elastic band and wrap it tightly around one end of the row of twigs to hold them together. Repeat this step on the opposite end with another elastic band to secure the entire base. I found it easier to work with about 4 twigs at a time. We attached elastics around four twigs and created three bunches of four and then used another elastic band to attach the bunches together to create the base of the boat.
Once you have the base, find two more sturdy twigs and attached them using elastic pads to the bottom of the base perpendicular to the other twigs.
Time to Build the Mast
- Insert a Mast: Find two more sturdy twigs, one to act as the mast for your sail and another to act as the base of the mast holding it to the boat.
- Secure the Mast: Push the bottom of the mast twig down between the middle twigs in the base of the boat. Cut an elastic band and use it to secure the mast in place by wrapping it around the middle of the other twig at the bottom of the boat.
Cut two other elastic bands and tie them to the middle of the two cross twigs on the bottom of the boat.
- Create the Sail: Cut a triangle shape out of the foam sheet to serve as the sail. Make sure the base of the triangle is wide enough to catch the wind.
- Attach the Sail: Punch two holes in the foam sail, one at the top and one at the bottom of the triangle. If you don’t have a hole punch, carefully use the scissors to create small holes. Thread the twig through the holes in the foam sail so that it stands vertically.
Time to Test the Boat
- This was the best part of the craft! Testing to see if our boat would float in water!! We are lucky enough to live steps from a beach. Luckily that day the waters were very calm making it the perfect conditions to test out our vessel! That day we actually tested about two boats. We recently made a tissue box and aluminum foil boat so we brought both down to the beach to test them out. You can test your finished twig boat in a shallow pool, stream, or even a bathtub to see it float.
We had to make a few adjustments to the twigs and sail to make sure that it was stable and balanced. You will likely need to do the same after your first test.Make those adjustment and test it out again and watch your creation sail. Create some wind for your and with your breath and watch it sail around! This was an amazing way to spend a summer afternoon!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
