We want you to spend the next 6 weeks researching , planning, designing, resourcing, building, testing, sailing and evaluating your very own model Viking Long Ship.

Week 1: Researching Viking Long Ships

What were they? What were they built from?  What was the construction method? What features did they have and why?

Week 2: Planning and designing your Viking Long Ship

How big will it be?  What materials will you make it from (think what you would like to have available and what you actually have available?) What feature will it have?  What animal will you have carved onto the prowl of your ship and why?  What will this look like?

Week 3: Resourcing

Collect together what you need to build your Viking Long Ship - will plastic bottles or plastic cartons be better for the hull of your ship?  How will you weight your ship so that it doesn't capsize?  What will you use and where will you place it?

Week 4: Building

What will you use to hold all of your resources together - glue?  tape? Bluetac?  What properties do your adhesives need to have for your design to work? Will you need to change your ideas?  What will you do if it doesn't work?

Week 5: Testing and sailing

Where are you going to test your Viking Long Ship to see if it floats and sails?  sink? bath? paddling pool? pond? lake? river?  How will you keep yourself safe when testing and if using a public space - have you thought about how you will get you ship back if it starts to sink?  We cannot go littering our environment.  If you do decide to go outside to a public place - do take an adult with you and observe all safety precautions.  if or when in doubt - testing in the sink at home is perfect.   Don't forget to get some photographs of your ship before, during and after sailing.

Week 6:  Evaluating

OK - so what worked well?  What went better than planned?  What were you really pleased with? What didn't go so well?  What mistakes did you make along the way?  What ideas, resources, adhesives did you need to change and why?  And most importantly - if you were going to do this type of project again - what would you change to make your next attempt better? - Remember the White Star Line built the Titanic and it sadly struck an iceberg and sunk - but the company still continued to build ships (just not as grand and with more lifeboats onboard).