Intro:
Perfect for accompanying lessons on the pilgrims' voyage to America, this activity builds
motor skills as children learn about history! This is a terrific process art activity for
cultivating creativity and practicing fine motor skills for a variety of age groups.

Set Up Ideas:
Encourage children to build their ships by first creating an ocean scene with the sea and
sky on the board or on a large roll of paper. Add children's ships to the scene once
completed.

Let’s Get Started:
To make these adorable pilgrim ships, you'll need to gather paper plates, straws, tape and
paint. For younger children you may wish to provide stencils or assist with cutting the
desired shapes from paper plates.

Tips and Tricks:
Children may need help with cutting, taping and placing the sail onto the straw.
Encourage them to try their best, but be sure to offer an encouraging, helpful hand when
needed.

Follow up Activity:
For more pilgrim fun with a dramatic play twist, complete our Pilgrim Hats activity using
construction paper or foam sheets to make fun, wearable pilgrim hats.

The pilgrims took quite a journey across the Atlantic Ocean in order to make it to the
land that would become America. Their journey lasted roughly three months! Ask the
children whether they've ever been on a boat or on a long trip. Do they think they would
enjoy 3 months at sea?

Steps:

1. Begin by cutting paper plates into the shapes of a ship and sails. These shapes can be
   simple squares and half-circles or more complicated shapes. Assist the children with
   cutting as needed.
2. Paint the ship and sails as desired. You may wish to paint the ship brown and leave the
   sails white. Other ideas include painting windows on the ship or a letter or design on the
   sail.
3. Tape a couple straws to the back side of the ship. Make sure that they are sturdily
   attached, as they will need to hold the sails to the ship.
4. Poke two holes into each sail and thread the straw through the holes so that the sails are
   kept in place. Alternatively, simply tape the back of the sail onto the straw.