Education Programs: Hands-on Activities

NPS photo

Hands-on activities teach many skills.

Salem Maritime offers a number of hands-on activities designed for a range of grade levels. These programs are designed for groups of up to 25. Groups over 25 can be accomodated by pairing the activity with a viewing of To the Farthest Ports of the Rich East at the Orientation Center.

To make a reservation for one of these activities, please contact Education Specialist Maryann Zujewski at 978-740-1662.

 

Haul Away! 

Duration: 45 minutes 

Location: On board the tall ship Friendship; this program will not be offered when Friendship is away from Salem Maritime.

Cost: $3.00 per student, $5.00 per adult

Maximum group: 25

This hands-on program and tour visits Friendship. Participants "learn the ropes" just like sailors once did aboard Friendship. As a merchant vessel, the original Friendship, built in 1797 was the tractor-trailer of its day, bringing cargo to and from Salem. One of the jobs sailors had aboard Friendship was to haul cargo in order to load and unload the ship. Test your skills as a sailor by following the commands and working together to haul cargo while learning about the goods brought to Salem.

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Salem's World Trade 

Duration: 45 minutes 

Location: inside the Public Stores exhibit

Cost: $3.00 per student, $5.00 per adult

Maximum group: 25

This hands-on program and tour visits U.S. Custom House and the Public Stores. Learn about 19th century international trade by examining the goods that were brought back to Salem by vessels like Friendship. Participants use their senses to inspect various world trade goods and learn of the importance of world trade in America's economy and lifestyle both historically and today. Entrepreneurship and economic concepts such as supply and demand and profit are discussed.

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Sailor Life 

Duration: 45 minutes 

Location: On board the tall ship Friendship; when Friendship is away from Salem Maritime, this program will be offered in an alternate location.

Cost: $3.00 per student, $5.00 per adult

Maximum group: 25

This hands-on program and tour visits Friendship. Based on the life of Salem resident Samuel Upton, participants examine sea chests aboard Friendship containing authentic sailors' objects to draw conclusions about life and work at sea in the 19th century. Sam Upton started out on board Friendship as a "ship's boy," moved up to a sailor and then eventually became a captain, even co-owning his own vessels. Maritime life and work, and cross-cultural exchange are the primary themes. 

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Dead Reckoning 

Duration: 45 minutes 

Location: On board the tall ship Friendship; this program will not be offered when Friendship is away from Salem Maritime.

Cost: $3.00 per student, $5.00 per adult

Maximum group: 25

This hands-on program and tour visits Friendship. How did sailors find their way in the days before GPS?  This hands-on program will introduce participants to early nineteenth-century navigational tools and techniques. Take a turn at the helm imagining you are sailing the world! Tools and materials used in navigation are discussed and demonstrated.