Did you read about steamboat captain Blanche Leathers in the July/August issue of Click?

On Captain Leathers’s steamboat, a steam engine turned a paddle wheel to make the boat move. This boat doesn’t have an engine, but it will show you how a paddle wheel pushes a boat forward.

What You Need

• foam tray (from package of fresh produce or meat)
• plastic-coated cardboard (from a milk or juice carton)
• rubber band
• scissors

What You Do

1. Ask an adult to help you cut the foam tray into a boat shape. Cut out a square from the stern (back) end of your boat. Trim a bit off one side of the cutout foam square, or cut a small cardboard rectangle to make a paddle, as shown.
2. Wrap a rubber band around the ends of the boat. (The boat works better if the rubber band is not too tight.)
3. Place the paddle inside the rubber-band loop (you can tape it there, if you like), and spin it away from the boat to twist the rubber band. Then carefully place your boat in water and watch it go!

What Happens
As the rubber band untwists, the paddle spins and pushes the water. When the paddle pushes the water backward, the boat moves forward. Which way does the boat move if you spin the paddle toward the boat instead of away?