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STEM Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity
STEM Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity
STEM Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity
STEM Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity
STEM Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity
STEM Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity
STEM Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity
STEM Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity
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What others say

"My stem class absolutely loved this. I loved that it included all aspects needed for the engineering design process."
star
Catherine R.
"The students love the ability 2 create and 2 try different things. Making it into a competition, it made it even more fun for the students. "
star
Alexandra M.

Description

STEM Sailboat Engineering Activity Description

Updated to include an editable STEM journals, instructional video, and teacher slides!

The Sailboat STEM activity is a great way to incorporate the engineering design process into your classroom or afterschool program! Many are familiar with the boat buoyancy challenge, and this takes it one step further by adding a sail! Now students must build a boat to hold a specific weight as well as incorporate aerodynamic principals to make it move.

This hands-on activity is an engaging design challenge that allows students to work in teams, apply the engineering design process, and connect math topics to real-world applications. As a student-driven assignment, the purpose of the teacher is to act as a facilitator. You will provide the structure to the project, but students will take an active role in designing and building their sailboats. Our students have loved this activity, and we know yours will too!

Engineering Challenge: Students use the engineering design process to design and build a sailboat to carry a mass across a set distance. Students will also learn about buoyancy and surface area as well as the forces acting on the boat.

As with many STEM activities that are student-driven, this challenge can be tailored to students of various skill levels and abilities. We have used this challenge from elementary through high school levels with great success.

Included in this product:

  • Detailed teachers guide with links to resources
  • Photos of student examples
  • Instructional video with real-world connections
  • Teacher slides
  • Student handouts to guide them through the design process
  • Editable Google Slides STEM journals
  • STEM Career Connection on Marine Engineering & Naval Architecture
  • Student recording sheet for each step of the process
  • Math connection problems including angles, ratios, geometry, and graphing

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES

Student Materials:

  • Styrofoam Cups
  • Scotch tape
  • Plastic straws
  • Aluminum foil
  • Paperclips/ Pennies
  • String
  • Cardstock or standard paper
  • Wax paper or plastic wrap
  • Scissors
  • Craft sticks 
  • Scissors

Limiting materials can be used as a design constraint. 

Other Optional Materials: 

  • Hot Glue 
  • Rubber bands
  • Balloons

Testing Materials:

  • Large container filled with water
  • Stopwatch 
  • Measuring tape
  • Paper towels

Customer Tips:

• Click the Green ★ to follow our store and get notifications of new products and freebies

• Leave feedback to receive TpT credit for use on future purchases

• Questions? Contact us in the Product Q&A section

Connect With Us

Email us: info@vivifystem.com

STEM Blog

Pinterest

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

TikTok

YouTube

Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.

STEM Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity

Vivify STEM
7.8k Followers
$5.75

Highlights

Digital downloads
Standards icon
Standards
Pages
41
Teaching Duration
3 hours

What others say

"My stem class absolutely loved this. I loved that it included all aspects needed for the engineering design process."
star
Catherine R.
"The students love the ability 2 create and 2 try different things. Making it into a competition, it made it even more fun for the students. "
star
Alexandra M.

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101

Description

STEM Sailboat Engineering Activity Description

Updated to include an editable STEM journals, instructional video, and teacher slides!

The Sailboat STEM activity is a great way to incorporate the engineering design process into your classroom or afterschool program! Many are familiar with the boat buoyancy challenge, and this takes it one step further by adding a sail! Now students must build a boat to hold a specific weight as well as incorporate aerodynamic principals to make it move.

This hands-on activity is an engaging design challenge that allows students to work in teams, apply the engineering design process, and connect math topics to real-world applications. As a student-driven assignment, the purpose of the teacher is to act as a facilitator. You will provide the structure to the project, but students will take an active role in designing and building their sailboats. Our students have loved this activity, and we know yours will too!

Engineering Challenge: Students use the engineering design process to design and build a sailboat to carry a mass across a set distance. Students will also learn about buoyancy and surface area as well as the forces acting on the boat.

As with many STEM activities that are student-driven, this challenge can be tailored to students of various skill levels and abilities. We have used this challenge from elementary through high school levels with great success.

Included in this product:

  • Detailed teachers guide with links to resources
  • Photos of student examples
  • Instructional video with real-world connections
  • Teacher slides
  • Student handouts to guide them through the design process
  • Editable Google Slides STEM journals
  • STEM Career Connection on Marine Engineering & Naval Architecture
  • Student recording sheet for each step of the process
  • Math connection problems including angles, ratios, geometry, and graphing

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES

Student Materials:

  • Styrofoam Cups
  • Scotch tape
  • Plastic straws
  • Aluminum foil
  • Paperclips/ Pennies
  • String
  • Cardstock or standard paper
  • Wax paper or plastic wrap
  • Scissors
  • Craft sticks 
  • Scissors

Limiting materials can be used as a design constraint. 

Other Optional Materials: 

  • Hot Glue 
  • Rubber bands
  • Balloons

Testing Materials:

  • Large container filled with water
  • Stopwatch 
  • Measuring tape
  • Paper towels

Customer Tips:

• Click the Green ★ to follow our store and get notifications of new products and freebies

• Leave feedback to receive TpT credit for use on future purchases

• Questions? Contact us in the Product Q&A section

Connect With Us

Email us: info@vivifystem.com

STEM Blog

Pinterest

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

TikTok

YouTube

Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.

Reviews

4.9
Rated 4.94 out of 5, based on 131 reviews
131
ratings
5
125
4
6
3
0
2
0
1
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Mostly used with 6th and 7th grades
Reviews
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All verified TPT purchases
Great Project!
Rated 5 out of 5
June 30, 2026
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
My stem class absolutely loved this. I loved that it included all aspects needed for the engineering design process.
Catherine R.
325 reviews • Louisiana
Grades taught: 7th
Vivify STEM
Response from
Vivify STEM
(TPT Seller)
Jul 11, 2026

Catherine, thank you! We’re thrilled your STEM class loved the sailboat challenge. Hearing that the full engineering design process supported your teaching is the best feedback we could ask for.

Great resource!
Rated 5 out of 5
December 4, 2025
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
Great resource to use for students to practice math and science!
teachforyou
(TPT Seller)
584 reviews • Illinois
Grades taught: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th
Wonderful extension activity
Rated 5 out of 5
November 27, 2025
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
The students love the ability 2 create and 2 try different things. Making it into a competition, it made it even more fun for the students.
Alexandra M.
130 reviews • Arkansas
Grades taught: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
GOod resource
Rated 5 out of 5
November 14, 2025
It is a good resource and easy to use for both the teacher and student.
Aaron S.
160 reviews • Tennessee
Grades taught: 7th
A great resource
Rated 5 out of 5
November 10, 2025
used this with an afterschool club and it was helpful. A great resource
josue B.
83 reviews • New Jersey
Grades taught: 8th
Student populations: Autism, Learning difficulties, Mild to severe disabilities
Great resource
Rated 5 out of 5
September 19, 2025
This was exactly what I was looking for! It is a great resource!
James P.
320 reviews • Ohio
Grades taught: 1st
Student populations: Mild to severe disabilities
Great Resource
Rated 5 out of 5
August 14, 2025
Met expectations
Standards-aligned
Thank you. My fifth grade students enjoyed using this.
a Q.
3,655 reviews • New Jersey
Grades taught: 3rd, 4th, 5th
Rated 5 out of 5
June 23, 2025
Great resources. My students enjoyed engaging with this resource.
Brenda Velaz
(TPT Seller)
325 reviews
Grades taught: 4th
Student populations: Learning difficulties

Questions & Answers

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Standards

to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).
Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes; apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
Find the volume of a right rectangular prism with fractional edge lengths by packing it with unit cubes of the appropriate unit fraction edge lengths, and show that the volume is the same as would be found by multiplying the edge lengths of the prism. Apply the formulas 𝘝 = 𝘭 𝘸 𝘩 and 𝘝 = 𝘣 𝘩 to find volumes of right rectangular prisms with fractional edge lengths in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
Draw polygons in the coordinate plane given coordinates for the vertices; use coordinates to find the length of a side joining points with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
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