Fun Activities

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Manufacturing and Production - SAILMAKER 

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Crossword Maker: Ditty Bag & Ditty Box

PrimaryPrimary MiddleMiddle

LiteracyAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

1. As a group of 3 - 4 students, you are going to research the Ditty Bag and Ditty Box and then create a crossword.

You can get your information from various sources [below] - some are more complicated.

Ditty Bag
A Ditty Bag

Resources

The Sailor's Traditional Ditty Bag and Ditty Box - An overview of their history and form by Louie Bartos

Local copy [7 pages]

Or, read through the following article Sailmaking and Sailmakers

Or, view the following video

Making a Ditty Bag
https://youtu.be/-iHCiMvhNck

 

 

2. After reading and viewing, make up a Crossword using the Crossword Maker.

 

 

Crossword Maker

3. Present to other classmates and your teacher.

 

 

What was it like to be a Sailmaker in Captain James Cook's voyages?

High SchoolSecondary

LiteracyAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

CriticalAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

IndigenousAustralian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

 

 

1. Read the following DYK...Reading

Did You Know?

the Sailmakers with Captain James Cook were....



John Ravenhill was the sailmaker for Cook's First Voyage 1768-1771

John Thurmund, Sailmaker's Mate
[Source:
The Papers of Sir Joseph Banks]

Cook's Second Voyage 1772-1775:

Richard Rollett, Master Sailmaker of H.M.S. Resolution

Andrew Hill was on H.M.S. Adventure

Rollett sailed with Cook on H.M.S. Resolution on her second voyage round the world and died on January 20th 1824 and was buried at All Saints Church at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.

Cook's Third Voyage 1776 -1780
H.M.S. Resolution: William Widdall; HMS Discovery
William Hillsey

(Source:
Captain Cook Society)

Richard Rollett

The inscription reads
TO THE MEMORY OF
RICHARD ROLLETT
FORMERLY MASTER SAILMAKER
OF H.M.S. RESOLUTION
CAPT. JAMES COOK IN HER
2nd Voyage ROUND THE WORLD
DIED 20TH JANUARY 1824

(Source:
Captain Cook Society)

2. You are to read an account of Captain Cook's cook from Trove (below), published in 1929! Note the mention of John Ravenhill. Reading


National Library of Australia: Trove: The World's News Wednesday 30 January 1929

Captain Cook's Cook

 

3. Using this newspaper article as inspiration, you are to write a similar story about John Ravenhill, sailmaker. You might also mention

  • the relationship with John Thurmund, the Sailmaker's Mate;
  • the number of sails used on the ship
  • the use of beeswax on the thread;
  • the equipment used by these sailmakers: the fid [A fid is a conical tool traditionally made of wood or bone. It is used to work with rope and canvas];  Sewing Palm [A variation on the thimble used by sailmakers and leather workers]; and sailmaker's needles.

Tools
(Source: HMS Richmond)

 

4. Select ONE of these mentioned sailmakers and write either

  • Poem about his daily life aboard
  • A short story about their life at sea with Captain Cook
  • Their encounters with Indigenous peoples especially in Australia

 

 

 

Ship Shape: A Science Experiment ((adapted from Australian National Maritime Museum - Educational Resources; p.11)

PrimaryPrimary  MiddleMiddle

CriticalAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

NumeracyAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

 

1. You are to conduct a Science experiment.

Discussion

Discuss as a class: Why is maintenance so important on a ship? What effect does the wind, sun and salt water have on timber, cloth (sails), iron and rope?

Experiment:

Materials:

  • Two pieces of sail cloth (canvas), and rope (made of hemp).

  • Salt water

  • Beeswax

  • A very sunny spot in the school grounds

Rope   Rope and beeswax

 

Procedure:
1. Write a description of the canvas and rope to establish its initial condition.

2. Divide the rope into three pieces. On one piece, rub in beeswax until it is absorbed and experiment with the salt water [see below]. Experiment with the salt water with another plain piece of rope - no beeswax. Keep the third piece of rope to compare at the end.

3. Soak the canvas and the two pieces ropes [one beeswax and one plain rope] in salt water for a few hours.

Have different quantities of salt in the water -

  • a. one cup of salt per 10 litres water;

  • b. one cup of salt per 5 litres water; and,

  • one cup of salt per 1 litre.

Remember to keep a piece of the original canvas and rope to compare at the end of the experiment. 


4.
Lay it out in the sun all day.

5. Repeat each day for two weeks.

6. At the end of two weeks compare their condition to the original condition of the canvas and rope.

7. If there is no change repeat steps 2 to 4 until change is noted.

8. Collect samples of the canvas and ropes and create slides to use under a microscope. Make drawings of what you see and note the differences between samples.

 

Optional extra experiment. The effect of wind and sun on the canvas and rope.

A. Have another piece of canvas and rope and in addition to soaking in salt water for 2 hours, also, have these pieces of canvas and rope subjected to the flow of air in the form of a fan for 2 hours.

B. At the end of two weeks compare and contrast the pieces of canvas and rope.



9. Write a scientific report on the experiment using the following headings:

Introduction

Method

Results [remember to graph these results]

Discussion

10. Discuss the following question:

"Would Endeavour have been more difficult to repair and maintain than a modern ship?
Why? Why not?""

 

Other Activities within the ANMM Educational Resource

TeacherTeacher

Local copy
: Australian National Maritime Museum - Educational Resources [PDF 21 pages]
This educational resource is now only on the Web Archive and relates to HMB Endeavour. It is fully reproduced here. Some of the references are now obselete so refer to the resources below.

Life aboard Ship

 
Content:

Life aboard Ship:
a. The Crew - who was aboard Endeavour? Mix and match activity.
b. A Day in the Life of a Cabin Boy
c. Indigenous dance and art
d. Bells and the watch - your day by bells
e. Passing the time: Complete the poem - The Sailor's Alphabet
f.  Make your own ditty bag and scrimshaw
g. Specimen pressing - make a wall chart
h. Make your own hard tack [ship's biscuit]
i. Tying knots
j. Research the crew
k. Make a card game


Resources

National Museum Australia - Endeavour Voyage: The Untold Stories of Cook and the First Australians.

Wikipedia: HMS Endeavour

Captain Cook's ship 'Endeavour' discovered after 22-year search | ABC News
https://youtu.be/KsMBBysTZQo

 

 

 

 

Websites, Games & Apps

Make a Sailmaker's Ditty Bag

MiddleMiddle  High SchoolSecondary

CriticalAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking


Make a Ditty Bag

TeacherTeacher

Click here to see the larger version

Some instructions given here.  

Make a Sailmaker's Palm

MiddleMiddle  High SchoolSecondary

CriticalAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

 

Sailmaker's Palm

TeacherTeacher

Clear instructions given

Nautical Ed App

Nautical Ed App

Cost: Free
Developed by NauticEd Sailing School

Little Sailor - App Game

Little Sailor

Cost: $US4.99



 

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