Thanksgiving Boats
Last year, just before the Thanksgiving holiday season, a group of us had to create a small fleet of ships
that could be worn atop someone’s head (lightweight and manageable), completed quickly and done for
little cost. The reason behind the need for such headwear is another story, which I will save for another
time. When I showed my friend, Nicole, a picture of our completed fleet, she mentioned what a great
Thanksgiving craft it would make, and if I would like to write about it on her blog. A year later, I am
ready to blog!
These are very easy and cheap to make, and the materials are well suited for water, if wanted to actually
get them wet. They can be made into a headpiece, which I will describe below, if you want to wear them
and act out Naval battles or the Mayflower crossing the Atlantic and landing on Plymouth Rock. The
choice is completely up to you.
Materials Needed:
Aluminum loaf pans
Styrofoam blocks
Styrofoam plates
Kabob sticks
Hot glue sticks
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Optional Materials:
Paint (if you desire to paint them)
Ribbon (if you desire to make them into headwear)
Prep:
Shape the aluminum loaf pans into a boat
Cut Styrofoam plates into sails (research what kind of ship you want to recreate and cut shape of sails
accordingly)
Cut Styrofoam blocks in 2inx2inx6in pieces
Assembly:
-Thread kabob stick through cut Styrofoam plate to create a mast and sail
-Hot glue the cut Styrofoam block to the bottom inside of the loaf pan
-Place kabob sticks with sails into the Styrofoam block-depending on what type of ship you are trying to
recreate will depend on how many sails you will need per ship
-Trim any excess mast with scissors
-Hot glue where the kabob stick and the foam meet for added support
-Paint your boat your desired colors (again research for authenticity, or let the kids go crazy…you could
have the most unique Mayflower ever created!)
If you want a headpiece:
-Poke 1 hole on each side of your ship; thread ribbon through each hole so that the ribbon lies on top of
the Styrofoam block
-Hot glue each hole where the ribbon come out of and your ready to wear your ship!
Hope y’all have fun making these, and have a happy Thanksgiving!