CISF offers an array of enriching programs for home-schooled students ages 5 – 14 throughout the academic year. The programs orient students to such subjects as the natural world and ecological consciousness, as well as provide a space for students to interact and play with peers. Want to learn more? Join our homeschool mailing list by contacting Fiona Christie Fiona@JamestownSailing.org
Fall, 2023 Programs
Session 1: September 11th – October 13th
Jr. Nature Explorers: Tuesdays + Thursdays, 9:30 – 11:30, ages 5-7
Every Tuesday and Thursday children between the ages of 5 and 7 will explore the natural world together at Fort Getty through this program for young homeschooled children. They will visit the Fox Hill Salt Marsh, rocky shores, and nature trails, learn about the species that live in the water and land, and observe the changes that happen in nature as summer turns to fall. Every week will include exploration, play, nature art, craft projects, and games. This is a 5 week program that will be followed by a second 5 week session before Thanksgiving. $220
Sailing + Marine Ed: Tuesdays + Thursdays, 12:30 – 3, grades 3-8
This program is for homeschool students in grades 3-8 and will be focused on both learning to sail and studying marine biology at the Fox Hill Salt Marsh at Fort Getty. One day each week students will work on building their sailing skills using both Hobie Waves and O’pen Skiffs, and working on parts of the boat, tacking and jibing, points of sail, and understanding the wind and current. The other day, students will learn marine biology, studying the salt marsh ecosystem, identifying and categorizing species, learning the difference between native and invasive species, and their effect on the delicate system. This is a 5 week program. $300
Session 2: October 16th – November 17th:
Jr. Nature Explorers: Tuesdays + Thursdays, 9:30 – 11:30 am, ages 5-7
Every Tuesday and Thursday children between the ages of 5 and 7 will explore the natural world together at Fort Getty through this program for young homeschooled children. They will visit the Salt Marsh, Rocky shores, and nature trails, learn about the species that live in the water and land, and observe the changes that happen in nature as summer turns to fall. Every week will include Exploration, play, nature art and craft projects, and games. $220
ROVs and Survival Skills: Tuesdays + Thursdays, 12:30 – 3:00 pm, Grades 3-8
This program is for homeschool students in grades 3-8 and will be focused on both building ROVs as well as practicing outdoor survival skills. One day each week students will work on learning about marine science through hands-on activities, and designing their own ROV’s to help solve a problem. Topics covered will be buoyancy, engineering design, and sustainability. The other day each week will be focused on learning skills needed to survive in the wild, such as building fire, identifying edible & medicinal plants, and orienteering! $300
Medical Form required: https://form.jotform.com/220196212205039
Photo Waiver – fill out ONLY if you do NOT want your child photographed and images used in our social media, fundraising, and marketing materials. https://form.jotform.com/220136741692050
Friday Explorations
(single sessions)
Ages 4-14
Cost: $30/person/session
September, 2023:
- 15th- Salt Marsh Biodiversity, 12-3pm
Salt Marshes are an extremely important habitat home to hundreds of different species of plants, animals, and other creatures. We will spend the afternoon at the Fox Hill Salt Marsh exploring and identifying as many species as possible during the low tide!
- 22nd- Sailing 101, 12-3pm
Come and spend an afternoon learning the basics of sailing on our Hobie Wave Catamarans! We will go over the basics of understanding wind and current, how sailboats work, and how to steer, tack, and gybe the boats!
- 29th- Fall Gardening, 12-3pm
Spend the afternoon in our Garden as we harvest and prepare for the fall! We will work on harvesting, saving seeds, preserving food, and maybe do a little eating too! There are 15 spots in this group.
October:
- 6th- Basic Navigation, 12-3pm
Learn the basics of navigating the old school way – on a chart – as well as take a look at some modern navigation tools, and use them to plan a sail around the area! (whether or not we go sailing will be determined by the weather) - 13th- Invasive Species, 12-3pm
Come and learn about the different species in our Fort Getty Habitats, both native and invasive, what that means and how invasive species affect the ecosystem. We will be focusing on the different species of crabs, collecting as many as we can, and gathering data to determine how they affect our specific salt marsh habitat.
- 20th- Tides and Currents, 12-3pm
Learn about the Tide and Current systems of the Narragansett Bay and World through sailing and hands-on activities! (We will possibly go sailing if the weather cooperates), and learn about other factors that impact you on the water such as wind patterns, and reading clouds and weather on the water.
- 27th- All About Trees, 12-3pm
Come and spend a day exploring trees with us at Fort Getty! participants will identify different types of trees and what makes them unique, learn why trees lose their leaves in the fall, and even create their own leaf art to bring home!
November:
- 3rd- Putting our Garden to Bed, 12-3pm
Come help us put our garden to bed for the winter! We will clean out our raised beds, prepare our perennials for the winter, and celebrate our last harvest! - 10th- Engineering with Simple Machines, 12-3pm
Our most popular activity of the fall, creating and building with ropes and items on our favorite trees, will have a full day to itself with even more tools added to engineer with! We will learn about pulleys, levers, and inclined planes, and see what kind of challenges we can create using these simple machines! - 17th- Naturalist Skills and Illustration, 12-3pm
Practice being a naturalist and observing, learning about, and drawing different living things around Fort Getty. We will learn how to find, safely catch, identify, and look closely at different living species, and then practice observing by drawing and labeling them as we adventure around!
“CISF provides inspiring project-based learning that nurtures creativity, problem-solving, risk-taking, personal accomplishment, collaboration and “aha” moments”
Jane Mitchell, Kindergarten Teacher, Jamestown Melrose School, 2019
“The combination of sailing, marine biology, and art was perfect for both of my kids.”
— Parent
Program Payment: By check or credit card via our website.
Scholarship information: CISF scholarship applications will be rolling throughout the year for those who need financial assistance to participate in CISF-offered programs. CISF does not want cost to prevent children from participating in our programs.
To learn more about applying for a scholarship contact Meg Myles, CISFSailing@gmail.com, or fill out an online application: https://www.jamestownsailing.org/secure-scholarship-application/
Scholarships will be awarded based on need.