Egyptian Sailboats from paper towel tubes

Our first week delving into ancient Egypt we read Story of the World vol 1: Ancient Times ch 2: Egyptians lived on the River Nile.

I have seen a lot of great projects for the introduction into ancient Egypt, but I ultimately decided on a project from the Ancient Egyptians and their Neighbors activity guide.  I changed it up a bit from the book, but I think it still turned out well and was easy enough for Goblin to do mostly on his own.

First gather your materials:
paper towel tube
straw
wooden skewer
construction paper square (ours were about 7x7inches)
pencil
ruler
scissors
tape
stapler.

I forgot the ruler and stapler in this picture. (Sigh, being prepared at the beginning is not my forte.)  Also, you can paint your boat if you choose (we did not), which means you will also need to include:
paint
brushes
water
something to protect your work surface (ie newspaper, paper towels, etc).

Next, take the paper towel tube and cut a slit all the way down it, longways. (Sorry for the blurry picture.)

Next, draw a dot about halfway across each end of the tube (shortways), then measure in 3 inches from each corner and mark these spots. (You don't have to use a ruler for these measurements, but it does help keep the sides consistent.)

Then, connect each dot on the sides to the dot in the middle of the short side.

Cut along the lines you've made to complete the sides of the boat shape.  You should now have this shape.

Next, you need to cut 1 inch slits into the shape from the same corner you drew your dots earlier, as shown here.

Now overlap the two sides of your cut and staple them together, bending the points of your shape upwards.

Make slits, overlap the sides, and staple together at your other 3 dots, and you should end up with a shape like this for the body of your boat.

Now would be the time to paint your boat if you wish to.  After it dries, move on to the next step.

You need something to attach your sail to your boat. I took a straw and cut it down to only a couple inches high.  Then cut multiple slits on one end, so it can fan out and be taped into place in the middle of the boat.

Now take a skewer and poke it through the middle of your construction paper square at the top and bottom, then place the skewer into the straw.

You can add in rocks or figures to keep your boat stable.

The kiddoes had a lot of fun with their boats once they were finished, pretending to be Egyptians gods sending storms to rock their boats on the mighty Nile.

They capsized pretty easily, but they were also easy to put back together. :)  Not to mention, the more the kids enjoy their projects, the better they remember them and the stories that sparked them.  Fun history class is the best history class.

--Little Miss Crazy