Elementary School Programs -
Fall

The Fall school programs focus on the environmental heritage of the Great Bay, and are offered in September and October. The field trips are led by trained volunteer educators and Great Bay Discovery Center staff. The programs target 3^rd to 5^th grade students, but can also accommodate older or younger students. Up to 60 students with chaperons can attend each session. The sessions are 2 1/2 hours long, and most are held outdoors at the Discovery Center, rain or shine.

Reservations for the Elementary School Programs are required several months in advance, and the programs fill quickly. Please call 603-778-0015 for program specifics or for reservation requirements.

Estuary Exploration programs incorporate science-based concepts that meet New Hampshire K-12 Science Curriculum Frameworks in the following area: Curriculum Standards 3a, 3b, 3c, 4c, 6a, and 6b.

The Fall field trips include the following activities:

Tom Wiggin, Salt Marsh Farm Boy: How did salt marsh hay farmers live along the shores of Great Bay over 100 years ago? Through an interactive story-telling experience, your students will get to know of Tom Wiggin's life as a salt marsh farm boy. They'll also have a chance to try "switchel," a favorite drink of the farmers. And they will be able to take a close look at some very old salt marsh farm tools, and discover the secret of staddle building.

Trail of the Arrowhead: Did you know that the Great Bay Discovery Center is located at a spot that was once used by the Msquamskek people over 400 years ago? On the "Trail of the Arrowhead," a guide will lead students on a discovery walk where they will learn about native plants and animals along the way. They'll travel "back in time" as they visit an Abanaki-style fishing encampment. While in camp, they'll have a chance to taste smoked fish, a staple in the diet of the Pennacook and Abanaki Nations that once fished Great Bay.

Time's Treasure: Dig into the past during an activity that introduces students to the people who lived around Great Bay over the last 400 years. Students become "archaeologists" as they dig through sand, searching for replicas of artifacts that may have been used by Native Americans and Colonists that once settled the shores of Great Bay.

Gundalow Row, Gundalow Sail: Weigh anchor and hoist the sail! We are off to explore an historic sailing barge of Great Bay. We will climb aboard and visit the only Piscataqua River gundalow in existence, known as the Captain Edward H. Adams, while it is berthed at the Sandy Point waterfront. Staff from the Gundalow Company will help students learn about the power of the Estuary's tides, and why New Hampshire's watery coastal highway of two hundred years ago was home to hundreds of cargo-carrying gundalows.