This year it was unseasonably warm on Presidents Day. It was 60 degrees in February! We had to take advantage of the beautiful weather. The cousins spent the night and we had a full day of adventure ahead of us! …But what to do?
The kids toyed with the idea of a cooking activity like the TV show, “Chopped”. In the show, chefs are given a box of surprise ingredients. They have 30 minutes to make a meal using the items in their mystery box. Our kids decided they could do something similar with a boat-making contest.
I gathered containers from the recycling can, balloons, straws, popsicle sticks, plastic cups and paper plates. I separated the items into boxes. We gathered a pile of tape, glue, scissors, and extra supplies in the kitchen for general use. The kids divided into partnerships of two and each group selected a mystery box. During the first round, the timer was set for 20 minutes. When the timer rang, the kids all stepped away from their boats. They had so much fun that they decided to have a second round.
In the end, we had six boats made by three teams. We took them to the park and let them float down the creek.
The kids had a great time rescuing their boats and “helping” them along with sticks, as the water was not moving quickly. They even put a tissue in each boat so they could measure how much water got inside the boats.
The adults and smaller kids had a great time cheering from the bridge.
Afterward, we had a picnic lunch and played on the playground. It was a terrific day.
