Our home school programs are place-based and hands-on and use inquiry methods to provide experiential learning to students. During all our programs, students use their senses to heighten their learning and make thoughtful connections.
Sailing and learning on the gundalow, Piscataqua is a transforming experience! Each year we offer several education sails just for homeschool families. Check out our single day programs below or click on the link for our multi-week program above.
CELEBRATING OUR RIVERS
Leaving from the Gundalow Dock in Prescott Park, Portsmouth, NH
Ages: 7 and up (younger siblings are ok, but will not participate in the academic activities) Please email education@gundalow.org if you would like to drop your student off, otherwise parents or caregivers may also purchase a ticket online.
Tickets: $25
Come aboard the only Gundalow in the world to explore the maritime heritage of the region and the environment on the rivers we sail. We’ll discuss how gundalows were used on our rivers, tow for plankton, set the sail, learn to navigate and more.
Please email Jess at education at gundalow.org if you are interested in setting up a program for a group.
Explore the Portsmouth Waterfront with one of our shore-based programs, or combine a sail on the Gundalow with our waterfront program and make a day of it!
You can schedule a homeschool waterfront program for your group of 8-20 students. Email education@gundalow.org for more information.
Piscataqua People (grades 3 and up): Travel back in time and take part in settling the Piscataqua Region. Become a Native American, a Shipbuilder, or a merchant and make decisions about how you live, where you live, and how you adapt to the changing settlement. This role-playing game introduces students to the the region and asks them to settle and barter with other early settlers.
A Walk in the Park: A History of the Waterfront (all grades): Take a walk around Prescott Park and discover the history of the region through stories, photos and the historical landmarks of the area. Take a step back in time and imagine what Prescott Park looked like when Puddle Dock ran through the area, or find the oldest grave in the cemetery.
Tide-Pooling Scavenger Hunt (all grades): Explore our coastline by looking for different critters in the water’s of Piece Island. Spending time along the shore is a wonderful segway into looking at plankton on the Gundalow. Our crew and volunteers will spend time exploring the area with you and answering questions.
Shore-Side Scavenger Hunt (all grades): Our waterfront is a bustling place with activity and lots of things to see. Let students discover the waterfront in small groups using our scavenger hunt as they explore all that a working waterfront has to offer.
Simple Machines (grades 3 and up): Explore how simple machines have been used throughout history to make work easier. Through student exploration, we will try out levers, pulleys, inclined planes, screws and a wedge.
Water Quality (grades 4 and up): During this hands-on, hour long station, students will design several basic scientific hypotheses about what they will find in water of the Piscataqua River. We will then use a series of scientific equipment to test for temperature, salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, and turbidity. Students then prove or disprove their hypothesis and discuss challenges of carrying out real world scientific research.
Sketching in the Park (all grades): After a brief conversation about making artistic observations, students are given supplies and time to doing their own sketching in the park.
For more information on Rates and Reservations, visit our booking page, or email education@gundalow.org
“If you are looking for a field trip that will WOW your students, look no further! It is here on the Gundalow! I have brought children on a bright sunny day and on a rainy freezing rain day and the outcome is always the same from my fourth graders…..WE LOVED IT….best field trip ever! The hands on science, the wonderful teachers and the beautiful scenery make it a yearly field trip for my class!” -Jacquie DeFreze Grade 4 Rye Elementary
