Education Programs
Education
Overview
K-12
Programs
Sea
Scholars
Community Ed
& Workshops
Our hands-on experiences engage K-12 students, undergraduates, teachers, adults, and other organizations.
Students use real-world, problem-based learning to understand the world around them.
Launched in 2016, this hands-on program lets high school students sail the ocean, learning the ropes of traditional tall ship sailing.
The heart of our program is building connections to the Great Lakes through hands-on activities and workshops.
Education Programs Overview
Environmental education is at the core of everything we do. Our hands-on experiences engage elementary through high school students, undergraduates, teachers, adults, and other organizations.
BaySail utilizes an inquiry-based approach to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education. Our STEM programs offer the unique opportunity for participants to take part in real-world physical, life, and Earth sciences.
From our award-winning Science Under Sail program to customizable programs for educators, community leaders, and the agricultural community, BaySail’s STEM educational programs enlighten participants in Bay City, Saginaw, Midland, Tawas, Port Austin, Detroit, and across the state of Michigan.
Explore all of our STEM education programs below including shipboard or dockside Science Under Sail, History Under Sail, or classroom and land-based opportunities.
K-12 Education Programs
BaySail’s flagship STEM program, Science Under Sail, launched in Bay City in 1998 with the founding of the organization and the acquisition of the schooner Appledore IV. Science Under Sail engages students in real-world, problem-based learning, through scientific observations and measurements of weather, water quality, aquatic life, and human impact on the environment. Since 1998, over 48,000 students have participated in a Science Under Sail program aboard the Appledore tall ships.
Twenty years later, BaySail continues to deliver our award-winning Science Under Sail program to students across Michigan from the decks of Appledore IV and Appledore V. Additional program offerings include History Under Sail, dockside, classroom & other land-based education programs for K-12 students and more.
Customizable lessons encourage higher-order thinking through collaboration with peers and experts. Each BaySail education program uses grade-level appropriate content and materials aligned with state and national curriculum standards.
Testimonials
Sea Scholars
Launched in 2016, the inaugural Sea Scholars voyage saw four high school students sail Appledore V from Key West, Florida to Bay City, Michigan over a 5-week period. During the voyage, students completed classroom assignments while learning the ropes of traditional tall ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. A shipboard educator and fellow crew members assisted students with additional environmental learning activities throughout the voyage.
Highlights of the 2016 Sea Scholars voyage included:
- Visiting the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key
- Stopping at the University of North Carolina Marine Research Facility
- Staying overnight in Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Touring the Big Apple
- A behind-the-scenes tour of Niagara Falls
- Welcome Home Party with family and friends
Let us know if you are interested in a future Sea Scholars voyage.
Community Education & Workshops
BaySail believes in creating connections to the Great Lakes through shipboard and land-based educational opportunities. Learners of all ages and backgrounds have established their connection by participating in one of the many Community Education programs and Workshops offered by BaySail aboard the Appledore tall ships.
Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP)
In 2014, BaySail began a lasting partnership with the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) through the Lenawee Conservation District. MAEAP is an innovative, proactive program that helps farms of all sizes and all commodities voluntarily prevent or minimize agricultural pollution risks.
MAEAP’s mission is to develop and implement a proactive environmental assurance program ensuring that Michigan farmers engage in cost-effective pollution prevention practices and work to comply with state and federal environmental regulations.
From the decks of the Appledore tall ships, members of the agricultural communities in the Saginaw Bay Watershed of Michigan and the Western Lake Erie Basin of Michigan & Ohio have participated in MAEAP programming aimed at minimizing agricultural pollution risks.
Each year, BaySail adds new partnerships with conservation districts across the region looking to expand MAEAP program offerings.