Open a discussion about the concept of friendship by asking questions such as ”What do you like about your friends? What makes a good friend? Are you a good friend?” Then connect with the idea of a ship to represent their ideas by asking, “What if there really was a ship called Friendship? What sort of ship would look like a friend ship?” After brainstorming and concept webbing ideas about friendship and ships, move on to making some decisions about the ship project. Some of these decisions might include size and whether it will be really capable of floating.
Divide the class into groups so they can begin working on the steps of boat building, from framing to finishing. A simple ship can be made from a cardboard box, cut and glued into a ship shape, then covered with Popsicle sticks, and painted. When each ship is completed the children may want to make people to ride aboard. These can be clothespin people, stick puppets or stuffed people.