Simple Science: How to Make Floating Zucchini Boats

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In this post I am going to show you how to make floating zucchini boats. This is a fun science and sensory play activity for kids!  Make a sail and float it on a lake or even in your tub.  Then, see if you can sink your zucchini. 

I had a huge amount of zucchini in my garden this year. I had so many that I couldn’t keep up with them and some grew nearly to the size of small cars. I cleaned out my garden last week as a frost was heading in and had a table full of them. I had already cooked all the things I could find with zucchini and shredded some to freeze for later.  I decided to get creative and try something new with the remaining ones.  

A long time ago for a Boy Scout activity, I remembered my son’s scout troop doing zucchini boats or rafts instead of the typical car races. They had so much fun with it. That came back to my mind and I thought we would give it a try! 

How to Make Floating Zucchini Boats 

Typically when you search online for zucchini boats, you will find a delicious recipe with sauce, meat, cheese and tasty herbs.. This zucchini boat post is not a recipe!  This is a playful activity that will entertain the kids. :).  

To make the zucchini boats, you will also need a wooden skewer, paper, a knife, spoon and some tape. 

You’ll want to use the tough oversized ones that have a hard peel. You start by just cutting it lengthwise through the center of the zucchini.  One zucchini will make two boats.

Once the zucchini is sliced, scoop out all of the seeds in the center.  Save your seeds and dry them out to grow more zucchini next year! 

Next, make a sail for your zucchini boat. We used a wooden skewer and a piece of paper. I used some of our origami paper. I folded it in half and taped it onto the skewer.

Stick the pointy end into the boat. Do not poke a hole through the bottom or water will get into your boat!

Find a place to float your zucchini. We filled up a large bathtub for ours since the wether was turning too cold to want to go to the nearby pond. They float great and make awesome boats!  

If you floated them off in a pond or river, they are natural material and would cause no trouble if they floated away. In fact, it might be great food for the animals!

Can You Sink the Zucchini Boats?

Next, try an experiment. How much weight can your zucchini boat hold?  Use pebbles, rocks, pennies or even marbles. Add them one at a time to your boat to see how many it can hold. Once your boat sinks, measure how much weight it took to sink it.  My kids enjoyed this part the most!  

What other things have you done with a zucchini that are out of the norm?  Did you know you can make gummies out of zucchinis?  They really are tasty! 

Try More of My Boat & Water Projects:

Why Does Ice Float? Ice Boat Science for Kids

Homemade Toy Rubber Band Boats

Bathtub Bottle Rocket

Magnet Boats

25 Water Science Experiments and Activities!

Sink or Float: Density of Salt Water