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The Seaport Museum is open today 11am–5pm.

South Street Seaport Museum

Where New York Begins

South Street Seaport Museum
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At-Home Activities

At-Home Activities

Learning Fun for Children and Families

Explore videos, experiments, and activities for children that you can do with a few basic supplies from home.

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Return to Activities + Lessons

Float Your Boat

Grades K–5
What floats, and why? How does the shape and size of an object affect whether it will sink? 

Supplies: 

  • Water
  • Cups, bowls, or tubs to fill with water
  • Foil or silly putty to construct boats
  • Rocks, eggs, etc. to experiment with buoyancy
  • Coins, beans, or other small “cargo” for your boat

SALTWATER + CARGO SHIPS

Grades K–5
Captains need to know how deep to load their vessels for each journey, but ships float differently in saltwater than in freshwater. How does salinity affect the buoyancy of a ship?

Supplies: 

  • Water
  • Salt
  • Clear drinking glasses or plastic cups
  • Labels for your cups
  • Cherry tomatoes, grapes, or similar objects
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South Street Seaport Museum

12 Fulton Street
NY, NY 10038
(212) 748-8600
Open: Wednesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm

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