More on Columbus

Enchanted Learning Software's Columbus' Voyage: Map and Ships More Crafts The student makes a map of Columbus' voyage and small replicas of his three ships. This project teaches geography and history.

Students make a map of Christopher Columbus' trip from Spain to Hispaniola, (in the Caribbean of North America) in 1492 and also make tiny replicas of his three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

Columbus was looking for a faster route to the Far East (Asia) in order to trade for valuable spices. Instead, he found North America. The ship Santa Maria sank in Hispaniola, but the Niña and the Pinta both made it back to Spain.

Supplies needed:

A piece of thick blue paper (like oaktag or posterboard) Pencil Green tempera paint Glue Scissors Small scraps of white, yellow or gray paper (for the sails) Markers Egg carton sections Toothpicks (two per boat) A small lump of modeling clay or playdough

Cut a piece of blue poster board for each student. Have the student draw a map of the area of Columbus' voyage (the Americas, Europe, etc.), using a pencil. As a guide, either use a large map of the world, or print out a map. The student can start by drawing the equator (a bit below the middle of the paper, since Columbus' voyage was in the Northern Hemisphere). Then draw North and South America on the left side of the paper. Draw Europe, Asia, and Africa on the right side.

Using tempera paint, color the continents green. Let the paint dry. Using a dark marker, label the continents, the oceans, the equator, Columbus' route, north, south, east, and west, etc.

The Boats:

Cut out three sections of an egg carton to make Columbus' three boats.

Trim each egg carton segments to look like the hull of a boat.

Cut out a 2-inch square paper sail for each boat. Fold over a small portion where it will attach to a toothpick. Put glue on the flap that will fold over.

Put a toothpick on the fold line. Fold the paper over, forming a small sail.

Push a toothpick through the sail in two places (perpendicular to the other toothpick).

Put a small lump of modeling clay in the bottom of each boat and insert a toothpick mast into each one. Columbus' ships actually had two large square sails (a foresail and a mainsail); there was a smaller, triangular sail at the rear, called a lateen, and other smaller sails.

You can now use your boats to trace Columbus' route to the New World, travelling from Spain to the island of Hispaniola (what is now Haiti/ the Dominican Republic), off the southeastern coast of North America. His round-trip voyage lasted from Aug. 3, 1492 to March 15, 1493.

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