Columbus Day
Projects & Activities for Kids
The projects and ideas in this booklet have been compiled from various
websites on the internet. The websites are listed on each project, to
comply with copyright standars, and we encourage you to visit these
websites for these and other great projects and ideas.
Race to the New World
NOTE: This activity is from TLC’s How Stuff Works website. More games and activity ideas for
this can be found at http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/columbus-day-activities1.htm
Race to the New World with this Columbus Day activity. Perfect for warm weather, this game
lets you explore the world with the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
Race to the New World Columbus Day Activity
What You'll Need:
Large plastic tub
Adhesive vinyl paper in various colors
Clear adhesive vinyl
Scissors
Waterproof markers
Foam blocks
Toothpicks
To make the game, draw the scenes of Christopher Columbus' journey from the Old World to the New
World on adhesive paper.
You may first want to stick a strip of blue adhesive paper around the top 4 to 5 inches of a deep plastic
tub to look like the sky.
Then you can draw things like islands with palm trees, clouds, birds, fish jumping into the air, sailboats,
and pirate ships on more adhesive paper. Do some research to find out what else Columbus might have
seen on his journey.
Cut out the figures you drew, and stick them onto the blue paper. Label one side "Old World" and the
opposite side "New World" with waterproof markers.
When you have finished creating your scene, cover the whole thing with clear adhesive paper. Then fill
the tub with water to just a little below the bottom edge of the adhesive paper.
Make Columbus's boats next: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
Make each boat by poking a toothpick into a small foam block.
You can use more adhesive paper to cut a sail for each boat. Label each boat with its name.
If you like, decorate the boats with waterproof markers or more adhesive paper.
Now you are ready to race. Line up the boats in the Old World and blow them over to the New. Which
boat will get there first?
For the explorer that's not ready to hit the water, make him a big round world box. Learn how to make
this Columbus Day activity in the next section.
Egg Cup Ships
(from Craft Caboose http://crafts.kaboose.com/egg-cup-ships.html)
By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Easy
Parental supervision is recommended
Age: 7 and up
This Columbus Day, make your vary own mini versions of the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria!
This fun recycle project is easy to put together and great for a classroom activity.
Make sure to visit our Columbus Day page for even more fun. As well, check out our fall crafts,
printables, Presidents' Day page and more.
What you'll need:
 3 cardboard egg cups
 Brown acrylic craft paint
 Paintbrush
 ¼ cup modeling clay or play dough
 6 toothpicks
 1 sheet white paper
 Scissors
 White craft glue
How to make it:
1. Paint the egg cups inside and out with brown paint. Set aside to dry.
2. Cut sails from white paper. You will need 6 large sails (1.5” x 1”) and 18 small sails (.5” x .75”).
3. Set aside three of the toothpicks for the large sails. Break or cut the other three toothpicks in half,
giving you 6 halves.
4. Put a line of glue through the middle of one of the small sails. Place the cut or broken end of one
of the toothpick halves onto the glue line.
5. Roll it in the glue to cover both sides, then place another sail on top, sandwiching the two sails
together. Flatten the sails together with your fingers and set aside to dry.
6. Repeat step number 5 with each toothpick half and 2 small sails (each).
7. Following the guide in step number 5, make the larger salls. For each large sail you will need a
toothpick, 2 small sails and 2 large sails. Glue the small sail to the end of the full toothpick, and
then glue the larger sail beneath it, leaving a small gap between the top and bottom sail. Set aside
to dry.
8. Roll a small amount of clay in your palm, enough to line the bottom of the egg cup. Place in the
egg cup and flatten to cover bottom.
9. Insert open end of large sail into the middle of the clay. Insert two small sails, one on either side
of the large sail, into the clay.
Tips:
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This project can also be made with open walnut shells.
The Nina and the Pinta were both smaller ships, but the Santa Maria was much larger. Make a
larger version of the Santa Maria by using margarine tubs, craft sticks and larger pieces of paper.
Teachers, use this project to discuss Columbus’s voyages to the Americas.
Cardboard Tube Telescope
(from Craft Caboose http://crafts.kaboose.com/egg-cup-ships.html)
By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Very Easy
Age: 5 and up
With this fun telescope kids can pretend to be exploring the open seas and foreign lands like
adventurers like Christopher Columbus.
Fall is full of fun for the kids and we've got Columbus Day activities to enjoy as well. Try out
more of our fall crafts, as well as some of our great fall recipes and printable activities.
What you'll need:
 1 cardboard tube (from a paper towel roll)
 Tape
 1 sheet brown construction paper
 ½ sheet black construction paper
 2 plastic rings from milk or juice jugs
 White craft glue
 Scissors
 Pen
 Twine or yarn

How to make it:
1. Cut 2" off the end of the cardboard tube, set aside. (See photo.)
2. Cut the longer remaining piece of the cardboard tube open lengthwise. (See photo.)
3. Use tape to close the tube back up, overlapping the edges just enough so that its circumference is
about ¼" or so smaller than it was originally. It should now be slightly smaller than the width of
the plastic ring.
4. Cover the long roll with brown construction paper, securing with tape.
5. Cover the 2" roll with black paper and secure with tape. (See photo.)
6. Insert the long, brown tube inside the small black tube. Push the black tube to the center of the
brown tube.
7. Pipe white glue around one end of the brown tube. Slide a plastic ring onto the end of the tube,
securing it with the glue. (See photo.)
8. At the other end of the tube, use a pen to poke a hole, about an inch from the end. Thread twine or
yarn through the hole. (See photo.)
9. Pipe glue around that end of the tube and slide the second plastic ring onto the glue.
10. Tie the ends of the yarn into a knot.
11. Hang the telescope around your child's neck. The black tube at the end can be turned to "focus"
the pretend telescope.
Tips:
1. The plastic rings that we used came from plastic milk jugs. They are the rings that detach from
the lid the first time you open the jug. We used them to keep the black focus tube from falling off
the end of the telescope.
2. If you like, decorate your telescope using glitter glue, rick rack, stickers, or markers.
3. Make a ship from a large cardboard box and kids can pretend they are Columbus sailing across
the ocean!
New World Map
(from Craft Caboose http://crafts.kaboose.com/egg-cup-ships.html)
By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Easy
Age: 7 and up
Parental supervision is recommended
When Columbus came to the Americas, the realization of the "New World" opened up all sorts
of possibilities to the Spanish. Make your own map of Columbus's voyages and pretend to be a
world explorer!
Make sure to visit our Columbus Day page for even more fun. As well, check out our fall crafts,
printables, Presidents' Day page and more.
What you'll need:
 Brown paper grocery bag
 Pencil
 Scissors
 Water color paints: blue, brown, green
 White craft paint
 Paintbrush
 Black marker
 Lighter (optional: for parents only!)
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How to make it:
1. Cut a rectangle from the side of the grocery bag that does not have seams.
2. Use a pencil to draw simple land designs on the front of your bag (refer to photo or a world map
for general idea).
3. Paint the land on the right green and the land on the left brown.
4. Paint the remaining areas (water) blue, leaving a small border around the land unpainted. Let
paint dry.
5. When dry, use a black marker to add an outline to the land masses.
6. Write the words “New World” on the land mass in the upper left and “Spain” on the upper right
land mass, on the left side of that piece of land. We wrote ours similar to calligraphy.
7. Use the marker to draw small curved lines around the water to represent waves.
8. Draw a dotted line from “Spain” to the lower left land mass.
9. Draw three small ships above the dotted line.
10. Add another coat of green and brown watercolor paint to the land masses, except where the words
are. Going around the words will give it a more dimensional look when dry.
11. Use a small paintbrush and white acrylic paint to paint the sails of the ships, an upper and lower
line around the dotted voyage line and thin white curves above the wave curves.
12. When white paint is dry, outline the ship sails with a black marker.
13. This step is optional and should ONLY be done by a grown up or parent: Use a lighter to lightly
burn the edges of the brown paper map to give it an aged look.
14.
Tips:
 Add more details to this map as you study Columbus Day at school.
 Watercolor paints are often forgotten in the age of acrylic craft paint. Keep a set or two of
watercolors on hand for weekend or rainy day fun.
 Add Columbus’s other voyages to the map as you learn more about his travels, there were 4 all
together.
Multicolor Binoculars
(from Craft Caboose http://crafts.kaboose.com/egg-cup-ships.html)
Turn two rolls of cardboard into magical multicolor binoculars. A fun Columbus Day craft that
kids will love to build and explore with--just like Dora!
What you'll need:
 2 empty toilet paper rolls for each child
 2 rubber bands for each child
 Colored plastic wrap cut into squares about 4 x 4 inches (adjust as needed)
 Optional: hole punch, yarn and scissors to make a neck strap

How to make it:
1. Take an empty roll and place a colored square evenly over one end of the roll.
2. While holding it in place, put a rubber band over it to secure it.
3. Repeat with the other roll and square
4. Watch in delight as the kid's explore their world in blue, pink, etc.
5. Option: create a neck strap by punching a hole on each outside edge of the binoculars. Cut a
length of yarn (to size for the child) insert each end into the hole and tie a thick knot to hold the
yarn in place.
Tips:
To dress up the "binoculars", you can decorate them with markers before adding the wrap.
Ocean Bottle
(from Craft Caboose http://crafts.kaboose.com/egg-cup-ships.html)
By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Very Easy
Age: 3 and up
Here’s a science project that doubles as a fun craft. Create your very own ocean waves in a
plastic soda bottle. Display for all your friends to see!
What you'll need:
 Empty two liter plastic bottle with lid
 Clear vegetable oil or mineral oil
 Water
 funnel
 Blue food coloring
 Small star fish, shells and other sea creatures
 One tsp glitter
 White craft glue
 Hot glue
How to make it:
1. Wash and dry two-liter bottle and remove all labels
2. Fill bottle halfway with tap water
3. Add a few drops of blue food coloring and swirl around to mix
4. Add glitter
5. Add sea creatures
6. Fill bottle the rest of the way with vegetable oil using a funnel
7. Be sure that rim and cap are dry, then apply white craft glue around the rim. Seal cap.
8. Use a layer of hot glue around the outer edge of the cap for added protection from leakage
9. Turn bottle on its side and gently rock the bottle to create a “wave” inside your ocean habitat!
Tips:
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Use lightweight starfish, shells and other sea creature toys that can float. Test them first in a bowl
or glass of water. Find these at your local craft supply store or discount department store.
Make the ocean any color you choose! Blue is standard of course, but if your child’s room is
decorated with red and yellow, go with red food coloring. There’s no rule that says your ocean
must be blue.
Small children will be mesmerized by this creation. They can help make this every step. Let them
insert the sea creatures, hold the funnel and help add the tap water. In the steps that may be more
difficult for little fingers, have them hold the bottle steady for you while you add the glitter.
Columbus Day Songs
Columbus' First Voyage
to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
Ocean blue, ocean blue.
Columbus sailed the ocean blue
In 1492.
He sailed west to reach the east,
reach the east, reach the east,
He sailed west to reach the east
In 1492.
Asian shores he never reached,
Never reached, never reached,
Asian shores he never reached,
In 1492.
Instead, a whole new land he found,
Land he found, land he found,
Instead, a whole new land he found,
In 1492.
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"
Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.
Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.
With three tall ships, 120 men,
sailing on, sailing on, sailing on, on, on, on -Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.
He proved the earth was round, not flat, in 1492.
He proved the earth was round, not flat, in 1492.
With three tall ships, 120 men,
sailing on, sailing on, sailing on, on, on, on -He proved the earth was round, not flat in 1492.
If You Dare to Have a Dream
(to the tune of "It's a Small World")
When you're laying awake
And your thinking of
All the things you would do
If you only could,
Don't be fooled, don't forget,
You may be young, but yet
You can make your dream come true.
Chorus:
Work to make your dream come true.
Work to make your dream come true.
Work to make your dream come true.
It's a job that you can do.
If you roll up your sleeves
And determine that
You'll succeed, yes SUCCEED,
No matter what,
You can reach all your goals,
Make your dreams all come true.
All it takes is work, work, work.
Sail Your Ship
to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."
Sail, sail, sail your ship.
Sail it night and day.
Look for land, look for land
All along the way.
There Was a Man
to the tune of "B-I-N-G-O."
There was a man lived long ago,
Who dreamed a special dream -Christopher Columbus,
Christopher Columbus,
Christopher Columbus,
Dreamed a special dream.
He dreamed that he could reach the East
By sailing, sailing West -Sailing, sailing on,
Sailing, sailing on,
Sailing, sailing on,
Until he spotted land.
He left his ships and went ashore
To meet the Tainto people,
Who met him with gifts,
Who met him with gifts,
Who met him with gifts
Of food and birds and gold.
He thought he was in India,
The continent of Asia,
Called the people "Indians,"
Called the people "Indians,"
Called the people "Indians,"
He thought he had reached Asia.
Three more voyages he did make
Across the Atlantic Ocean,
Never discovering,
Never imagining,
Never even knowing
He'd found a whole New World.
Nina Pinta
Sung to the tune of Are You Sleeping?
Nina, Pinta
Santa Maria
Sailed away,
One fine day.
Columbus loved the sea,
But was glad to see
Land Ho! Land Ho!