The winter portion of the curriculum is boat building. The teams each loft and build a 10ft bottom, rowing skiff. The lofting portion involves drawing the boat, full size, on the floor. The boat is drawn from four different views, side (profile), bottom (plan), front (bow body plan), rear (stern body plan). The dimensions and details for the full size drawing are taken from a 1ft = 1in scale drawing and a table of offsets. 10ft. Iron Skiff       The lofting engages students in the practical application of scale drawings, measuring and three-dimensional visualization (Thinking Spatially). As the boat develops in Two Dimensional on the floor during lofting, the students’ engagement in spatial thinking begins. As lines are drawn on the floor we discuss how to look at them from different perspectives. From the drawing on the floor students take patterns to use for forms to build the boat around. As dimensions are taken from the lofting it gives students a chance to engage in spatial thinking at a grand scale. Constant reference back to the lofting, as building progresses, builds a student’s ability to think spatially. The building portion takes students from lofting to finished boat. They constantly refer back to their lofting to understand how to fit the boat togeher. Moving back and forth between a Two Dimensional drawing and a Three Dimensional object provides students with practice and practical application of the ability to Think Spatially The final product is a boat they can use and be proud of.       Students can engage in many different ways. Some may not be interested in the lofting and building process. As the boat nears completion we need a color scheme for painting. This is also an area where we make connections to various cultures by investigating how traditional fishing and boating communities have painted their boats. The color schemes and designs often reflect a strong cultural connection to religion or history. Discusions also offer teaching and learning connections to current events and geography. During the Fall and Winter of 2007/08 we organized a class project to develop paint schemes for the boat built by a 6th grade class at Boston's Mission Hill School. See the winning color scheme here.       During our summer program, the boat is used in a small boat rental program on the Charles River. Students who have participated in the project get to use their boat for free. This provides the students with a way to participate in an exciting new opportunity of learning and exploration on the water.