7 Seas STEM

Ahoy Maties! Embark on a voyage across the Seven Seas in a scientific adventure. Join us as we design boats, build catapults, learn about navigation, investigate the water cycle and search for pirate treasure. So, hoist the anchor and let’s get ready to set sail!

You may choose to teach all or some of the lessons in this curriculum. To provide the best experience, it is encouraged that you include at least one activity in each section.

This curriculum was designed as part of the Imagine Science partnership grant with the Greater Oklahoma City YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County.

Pirate Prep

Design a Pirate Flag

Form teams and design a pirate flag for their crew then explore simple machines and design and build a mast to raise the flag.

Pirate Origami

Learn to fold an Origami pirate hat and use math to change its size.

Exploring the Depths of Vision

Explore depth perception & learn how a pirate’s eye patch may affect vision.

Pirate Ships

Penny Boats

Experiment with buoyancy and design a boat out of aluminum foil to hold the greatest number of pennies and still remain afloat.

Paddle Boats

Learn the parts of a pirate ship then build and test a rubber-band-powered paddle boat.

Sphero Swimsuits

Design a swimsuit to help the Sphero BOLT Robot move through the water.

Pirate Tech

Cannons & Catapults

Choose your adventure: Attack or defend the port! Experiment with Engineering and Physics to build a Cannon and/or Catapult.

Compass & Quadrant

Learn about these navigation tools by constructing a compass and/or quadrant.

Cup Constellations

Participants will learn how stars are used for navigation & make a simple constellation model.

Water Cycle Voyage

Review knowledge of the water cycle and create a bracelet to document the journey of a water drop through the cycle.

Pirate Code

Hack your Treasure

Use problem solving skills to navigate a ship to the treasure while avoiding obstacles in this unplugged coding activity.

Sphero Treasure Hunt

Use functions to build programs to help the Sphero navigate an obstacle course and reach the treasure.

Pirate Binary Code

Learn about Binary code and how it can be used to code letters and pictures to transmit data.

Additional Lessons

Sphero Basics

Learn the basics of how to connect, aim, drive and block code the Sphero BOLT robot.

Binary Code Bracelets

Use binary code to create a fun personalized bracelet.

Trash Walk

Investigate what kinds of things people litter and discuss possible solutions.

What are the Seven Seas

Learn about the Seven Seas and label them on a map.

Sphero Pirate Code Mat