Home School Programs

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.

Purchase tickets 

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

Gundalow Company Maritime Heritage and Environment Program 

Explore the marine science and maritime heritage of our region through this multi-week homeschool program.  Our programs are engaging, hands-on, and multi-disciplinary and challenge students to connect human history to our environment.  During this program students will have opportunities to use scientific equipment, sail aboard the gundalow, and explore the rivers and islands behind Newcastle Island by boat.   Each week students will be asked to complete a short assignment at home.

Themes for the program include:

  1. Why did Europeans settle in the Piscataqua Region?
  2. Why is a Gundalow a Gundalow and how were they important to our region?
  3. How healthy are our bays today?
  4. How have humans impacted our waters during the past 400 years? How do we impact our waters today?

Ages: 7-12 (younger siblings down to 5 years old may register)

Price: $85/person (need at least 8 students) – 10% discount to Gundalow Members or when you sign up with a sibling or friend.

email education@gundalow.org for more info or to set up your program!

 

Gundalow Homeschool Explorers Program

(Do you have a group? this 4-week program can be arranged for interested groups including homeschool groups or after school programs)

For hundreds of years, Gundalows traveled the rivers of the Piscataqua Region; delivering cargo and connecting upriver towns.  Early settlement in the region was encouraged by the rich abundance of resources in and near our rivers.  This early abundance led to impacts to our waters that continue into today.  During this month-long homeschool program, students will explore the history of the region and health of our estuary.  Students spend the first several weeks shore-side and finish the program on our last day with a 2.5 hour sail on the Gundalow.

This is a 4 week program and can be arranged for interested groups – please email education@gundalow.org to organize your trip

Ages: 7-12

Price: $75/person (need at least 8 students)

Learn more about the Program

Week 1 – History of Gundalows – What makes a Gundalow a Gundalow?  We will make model gundalows, take a tour of the gundalow PISCATAQUA, swab the decks, learn boat parts and more!  We will finish our day by getting our own ship’s log.

Week 2 –History of the Region – We will explore early settlement of the Piscataqua Region through an interactive role-playing game called Piscataqua People.   We’ll finish off with a few nautical skills including knot tying.

Week 3 – What’s in our water? We’ll explore the water quality of the Piscataqua River, catch plankton, and use microscopes to take a closer look at the animals that form the base of the marine food web.

Week 4 – 1:30-4:00 – Our Gundalow Sail – We will set sail for 2.5 hours on the waters of the Piscataqua Region.  We will set the sail, steer the boat, learn to navigate, sing some sea songs and participate in several learning stations onboard. (parents may purchase a ticket to join us on this sail if they are interested)

Email education@gundalow.org to set up a program

“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

Contact Us

Gundalow Company
60 Marcy Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 433-9505
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