The summer season is definitely upon us here in the US, with an intense heat wave that is sweeping across most of the country. If plans or circumstances are keeping you home with your young children during this very summery weather, don’t fret. This craft will keep little hands busy, and it creates something fun to play with in the bath, pool, water table, or what-have-you. (for backyard water table ideas, see my post HERE).

image credit: www.easypeasyandfun.com

The supply list is short, and it’s very likely you already have everything you need at home:

• Common kitchen sponges
• Cardstock or construction paper
• Wooden skewers
• Scissors

That’s it! To start, cut out your sails. They can be rectangular in shape, but I find that triangles make for better sails. Kids can help with the cutting, and they can most definitely color and draw all over the sails; I recommend against decorating with glued-on objects or too many stickers, as a top-heavy boat will easily capsize, but that could be a little experiment itself, if you’d like to explore.

Next, cut larger sponges in half, or again, experiment – maybe circles, triangles, or octagons?

And finally, assemble your boats. First, poke the skewer into the sponge to create a hole all the way through. Then, pull the skewer out and poke two holes in the sail, one at the top and one at the bottom, each about ½ an inch from the edge, to minimize ripping. “Sew” the skewer through the sail and push it through the sponge until it sticks out the bottom, about ½-1 inch.

Place boats in the water, and allow the sponge to absorb some water before letting it go (so the sponge will be a bit heavier and hopefully keep the boat upright)

And sail away!