Fifth-Graders at IDS-CC Racing Cardboard Boats

At the end of the school year, as they get ready to bid bon voyage to elementary school, fifth graders at Independent Day School-Corbett Campus sharpen important skills that will help them to navigate the waters of middle school.

They do this in a unique and nautical way by designing, constructing and racing boats made entirely of cardboard, an exercise in teamwork, problem solving, and creativity dubbed, “The Cardboard Challenge.”

By grouping the class in randomly selected teams, the fifth grade teachers provide students with the opportunity to learn valuable lessons in cooperation and communication, as well as refine benchmark skills in math.

As a first step, students brainstorm ideas for a boat design and translate those ideas into individual scale models. Each team then constructs a boat using only corrugated cardboard and duct tape. Each boat can be up to 10 feet long and needs to hold two passengers.

After the boats are completed, students don life jackets and swimsuits and race their craft at a local pool. The event will be held from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Friday, June 1 at the Bob Sierra Youth & Family Center, 4015 Ragg Road in Northdale.

“Through this activity, students learn to recognize and appreciate each other’s strengths,” said fifth grade teacher Linda Wenzel. “And that’s important in life – to be able to appreciate the talents each member of a team brings to the problem-solving process.”