Cardboard Boat Regatta Curriculum

This curriculum powers a district-wide engineering design challenge where students build and race life-sized boats made entirely of cardboard and adhesive materials. Teams apply physics and engineering principles to design buoyant, stable watercraft capable of carrying two paddlers across a pool course.

Curriculum Components

Engineering design process with iterative prototyping and testing
Buoyancy, displacement, and structural design principles
Materials selection, constraint-based design, and bill of materials
Team roles, collaboration, and project management
Competition rules, safety protocols, inspection checklists, and heat logistics

Learning Impact

Students experience the complete design cycle—from concept to prototype to race day—building teamwork, problem solving, and applied STEM understanding in a high-energy community event.

See the program highlight page for photos and narrative: /projects/chandler-cardboard-boat-regatta/. For detailed lesson plans and handouts, email stramark@gmail.com.