SS United States Kids: Junior Shipsters
Kids: Want to learn more about the fastest ship in the world?
The SS United States is a huge, old ship that was very important to the history of America. In the 1950s, the SS United States carried movie stars, presidents, businessmen and politicians. The SS United States also carried students, families, and immigrants looking to make a new life in America.
When people began using jet airplanes to travel across the ocean, the grand ocean liners like the SS United States were taken out of service. Most ships were sent to steel scrap yards to be broken up. But the SS United States was special. She is still here.
The ship is now owned by the SS United States Conservancy. They have a plan to restore the ship and create a cool museum to be enjoyed by people of all ages from years to come. They need to raise money and let everyone know the ship must be rescued.
Image courtesy of Thomas Gaskins.
Here are some ways kids are helping save the SS United States…
Models of the SS United States
In the 1950s, it was popular to build models of the SS United States. You and a parent can build a model and show it off!
help raise awareness
Ravi Giberson is passionate about saving the SS United States. He came to one of the Conservancy’s events and gave a great speech about why the SS United States is important and should be saved!
Help spread the word
Kids in the Philadelphia area created these great posters to spread the word at an SS United States Conservancy rally in Philadelphia.
Inspire fellow students
Students at Union High School in Union, New Jersey created a large, 3D poster of the SS United States! The poster was created as part of a collaborative class project.
the ss united states in the classroom
These middle school students in Jones, Oklahoma learned about the importance of the SS United States in class! You can suggest the SS United States as a topic at your school. More information below!
inspire others
Brownie Troop 74732 had a Citizenship meeting and their topic was the SS United States. They all had a chance to color the ship and one of the scouts gave a presentation about Elaine Kaplan, the female engineer and mathematician who designed the top secret propellers for Gibbs and Cox. The scouts also made and decorated milk carton ships.
Here are even more ways to get involved…
Check out our coloring sheet and word search game! Download and print them here!
Download an informative brochure here to learn about more ways to help save the SS United States.
Ideas for teachers and parents
Make a model of the SS United States.
Have your children draw or paint the SS United States.
Organize a classroom blog about the SS United States.
Build boats in class and race them against each other.
Design your own ship propellers.
Compose a song about the SS United States. One classroom in California performed the ship’s special song, First Lady of the Seas, on their ukuleles!
Design your own passenger ship that can be turned into a troop ship. What safety features would you include?
Provide a math worksheet for calculating distance and speed for ships and information on how time trials are recorded.
Compare how long it took for the SS United States, the Queen Mary, the Mayflower, the Santa Maria and other famous ships to cross the Atlantic, and try to calculate their speeds.
Most kids are fascinated by the Titanic. For a real eye-opener, compare her statistics point-by-point with those of the SS United States using the handy fact sheet at the SS United States Conservancy website.
At 990 feet, the SS United States is longer than three football fields! Go to a large outdoor area and measure out the ship’s dimensions with flags or marking chalk.
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