The Transformative Benefits of Education by the Sea
Education by the sea offers a unique and enriching experience that extends far beyond the traditional classroom setting. From fostering a love for the environment to developing crucial life skills, the benefits of learning by the sea are vast and impactful. Whether through outdoor adventure camps, high school programs at sea, or beach schools, the ocean provides a dynamic and engaging learning environment that can shape a child's future in profound ways.
Enhanced Physical and Social Well-being
Outdoor education summer camps, such as Catalina Sea Camp, offer more than just outdoor activities and new friendships. Studies have shown that being active outside increases children's physical and social health, helping them form healthier habits that continue long after they leave summer camp. These outdoor adventure education experiences can provide long-term benefits that last a lifetime and set children up for success.
Adolescent life is often confined to classrooms, and many summer jobs involve working under fluorescent lights. Education by the sea provides an opportunity to break free from these brick buildings and embrace a more invigorating environment. Cruising between islands and soaking up the sun offers a refreshing change of pace, along with valuable new skills and personal growth.
Improved Academic Performance and Cognitive Development
Outdoor adventure education utilizes a greater range of a child's intelligence, leading to overall enhanced achievement. This includes better test scores, a more positive attitude toward school, and improved attendance. The natural world has much to teach us, and outdoor experiences create teachable moments through organic, unstructured activities. This type of learning is free from screens, which dominate our lives, and allows the brain to think more freely and creatively.
One of the significant advantages of high school at sea programs is the opportunity to earn college credits while exploring the world. Instead of cramming for exams, students can get ahead by immersing themselves in a unique learning environment. The skills, knowledge, experience, and lessons gained when studying abroad on a boat often surpass those acquired through traditional lectures and quizzes.
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Emotional and Personal Growth
Outdoor adventure education supports emotional, physical, and intellectual growth in children, instilling in them a "can-do" attitude that they can apply to all aspects of their lives. They develop a better sense of self, which allows them to better manage fear, stress, and anxiety, as well as instilling in them a sense of determination and a desire to succeed.
High school at sea programs often involve short, intensive experiences, typically lasting three weeks or less. This compression of education and experience offers a significant advantage: it saves time and prevents boredom. Spending time at sea with a small group of people fosters new friendships, clear communication, teamwork, and skill-sharing. Each individual has a responsibility to keep the catamaran afloat, ensuring smooth sailing of daily tasks.
Environmental Awareness and Responsibility
Kids who participate in an outdoor education program learn to respect and develop a relationship with the environment, as well as the communities they live in. They begin to see themselves in a global context and understand the importance of preserving nature and their community. There is a big emphasis on environmental education among school at sea programs. These programs are leagues apart from racing around on jet boats at your local lake. It’s about time that the classroom expands into a vast, relevant world and lesson plans include majestic sunsets.
Water World, a collaboration between the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and Centrum, is a popular outdoor education camp that exemplifies this. Spending intentional time outdoors develops empathy for the environment and encourages students to carefully maintain and respect it. Students at Water World work together to articulate the skeleton of a gray whale and learn the story of its stranding. They also investigate how marine mammals are specially adapted to survive and thrive in the ocean, and explore how human activities have impacted gray whale populations in the past, and what can be done to protect the seas.
Development of Essential Life Skills
Experiential learning outside the classroom encourages children to develop critical decision-making and problem-solving skills. Because of the inherent challenge of outdoor adventure, judgment and decision-making are key traits for those engaged in outdoor adventure. By stepping outside their comfort zones and confronting real-life challenges, students develop critical life skills.
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A high school at sea program amounts to proving one's strength and becoming "Sharkbait, hoo ha ha" (not literally though!). The soft skills acquired while exploring oceanography first-hand are often more valuable than those acquired by reading a textbook passage aloud in class. Many study abroad on a boat programs offer sailing or scuba diving certificates at the end of the session. These open the door to more advanced scholastic sessions at sea, as well as to potential work opportunities within the field.
Inclusivity and Engagement for Diverse Learners
Not all students can blossom in a traditional classroom setting. Those who learn best through tactile and kinesthetic means, and visual learners find they thrive in outdoor learning environments. Teachers discover that students with ADHD or other academic challenges have increased focus while learning outdoors. Outdoor education creates the ‘art of inclusion’ and is accessible for different kinds of learners. Integration through different modalities is far more inclusive. Kinesthetic learners or students who need more movement for their bodies find that outdoor education suits them. This platform for social development fosters a tribe or crew for kids who might not fit in as easily at school. But we are naturally inclusive as the teams work together.
Beach Schools: Bringing the Curriculum to the Coast
After the success of the forest school movement, there is a new push to teach on the beach. While it may not be as accessible for inland schools, children growing up within easy reach of the coast have growing opportunities to learn by the seaside. As well as studying the impact of plastic pollution and the beauty of coastal flora and fauna, children also learn about tidal forecasts, lunar cycles, ecology, and geomorphology. They get fresh air, physical exercise, make friends, and learn about teamwork.
Ali Murray works for Beach Schools South West, a small community-based company dedicated to outdoor learning. “We work with schools to take the curriculum to the beach. Our aim is to get children outside, off their bottoms in the classroom, and out on to the beach - which they love. They learn in a completely different environment - and they really do learn.” She works with local schools across the south-west, particularly targeting those with high numbers of disadvantaged children who receive additional pupil premium money which can be used to fund trips and enrichment activities, and takes them to the closest suitable beach, whatever the weather - as long as it’s safe. Murray says that some of the children she works with have never been to the beach before, despite living close by. “Every class I take, there are always one or two,” she says. “I find it really sad. It’s such an amazing resource that’s free.”
Addressing Concerns and Promoting Safety
High school at sea programs prioritize safety for all participants. Emergency action plans, intensive staff training, safety briefings, up-to-date risk assessments, and 24/7 access to medical treatment are part of every reputable program. So if you’re afraid of getting seasick, worry not: there is a dock aboard to cure any bouts of low tides.
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Parents can be worried when they drop off their kids that they will be away from instant contact with their child. However, it is often found that after the first 12 hours of camp - together and outside - the campers have mostly forgotten about their phone and checking it.
Semester at Sea: A Unique Voyage of Discovery
Semester at Sea (SAS) offers a distinctive approach to global education, allowing students to travel the world while earning college credit. What makes Semester at Sea unique from a traditional cruise? Families can select large suites that accommodate parents and up to two children, or select separate cabins for parents and children. Children of all ages will gain insight into college curriculum and learn from the inter-generational shipboard community.
Field Programs are SAS-sponsored in-country excursions, collaborating with well-known, trusted, and insured in-country providers to offer Field Programs in each port stop at an additional cost. Every day at sea, there is a seminar organized by the Lifelong Learning Voyage Coordinator, designed to be of particular interest to the Lifelong Learner community. They may include presentations from faculty, staff, crew members, or even one of your Lifelong Learner peers.
The health and safety of all voyagers is a top priority. The ship offers a medical clinic with basic diagnostic services, over-the-counter medications, and limited prescriptions. There are 4-6 medical professionals on each voyage and one is on-call 24/7, even while the ship is in port. There are also two mental health counselors available to all voyagers.
The Lasting Impact
The 2005 American Institutes for Research (AIR) study noted that children who attended an outdoor education program had a significant increase in their self-esteem. Additionally, it’s reported that children had an improved sense of self-worth from proximity to nature and natural elements. “Connecting to the natural world gives kids more confidence,” says de Leon. “They are open to new experiences so bringing them to a place where they are challenged is a personal growth opportunity. Students are often transformed and break out of their shells and personal fears. They make new friends and improve their social skills through learning and playing.
Outdoor education is not all about learning and education - it’s also about making friends and creating memories that children carry with them for their lifetime and back to their home. It will ignite their creativity and they will find a deep appreciation for the beautiful natural world from the oceans to the forest. And I’m confident the kids will learn more about themselves in one week than they expect.
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