• Lush vegetation on the top of Spectacle Island's North drumlin dominates the foreground. Boston's skyline can be seen in the distance. The park's logo with tag line minutes away, worlds apart empashises the stark contrast between the city and islands.

    Boston Harbor Islands

    National Recreation Area Massachusetts

Education Themes

Information is grouped by subject matter above to help educators see how the Boston Harbor Islands can enhance specific classroom experiences. Follow the theme links above to explore the education themes for the Boston Harbor Islands.

 

Park Visitor Themes
In looking at the history and offerings of the park, integration is a recurring theme -natural history and human history are interconnected; stories related to Euro-Americans and Native Americans are interwoven; current uses of the islands are influenced by their past roles. A holistic approach to the park shows the inter-connectedness of people to each other, people to nature, the past to the present, and works well for building curriculum that is interdisciplinary. To help visitors learn about the bigger picture, the park has developed four themes (in addition to the above education themes): Islands on the Edge; Home in the Harbor; Portal to New England;and Renewal and Reconnection.

Did You Know?

Airplane at Boston Logan Airport 1941

Boston Logan International Airport sits upon land that used to be four islands – Apple, Bird, Noodles and Governors Islands. Today, visitors travel past Boston’s Logan International Airport on their way to explore Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. More...