Just a hop, skip, and a jump from our school is Puget Sound's Commencement Bay. To start off the Navigators' year of learning about how things change, we had our first field trip of the year, a sail aboard the Lady Washington. The beautiful ship is a full scale replica of the original 1877 ship, the first American vessel to make landfall on the west coast of America. Many changes have happened since then and this is where we begin our year....
It was a beautiful, crisp September morning. The sun was shining, Mount Rainier was out, and the Navigators (and many of their parents) set sail aboard the Lady Washington.
Students learn of the long-term impacts of the early Pacific-American trade and the complex relationships 18th century mariners built with other Nations.
We got to go down through the hatch
to see where the crew lives.
We learned about routes across the ocean.
This was a cake of tea that England traded for furs.
It smelled like tea!
Silk was also an sought after item for trade
that Asia traded for furs and tea.
Furs were shipped from America to Europe.
NAVIGATION
Students learn the information and instruments navigators need to move toward their destination, even without known landmarks.
We learned about how to navigate out on the open ocean with a chart (maps of the ocean are called charts) and a compass that was mounted in gimbals to keep it level while the ship pitched and rolled.
This tool measured distance on the chart.
We also learned about lead lines that measured depth and what was at the bottom of the ocean and about sand glasses that measured time.
LIFE OF A SAILOR
Students discover the foods, tasks, and pastimes that sailors used to meet their basic human needs during long voyages.
We compared a tall ship bumper made of line to a modern day bumper. One of these volunteer ladies is a writer who is doing research for a book she is writing.
On our way back to shore, we had some time to simply enjoy the journey. It was fun to watch the whirlpools beside the ship.
What a perfect way to set up our year.
When we were done, we wanted to see Lady Washington.
Look! There she is!
Oftentimes, the front of the ship
was handcrafted into a beautiful carving.
The Lady Washington is indeed the Lady Martha Washington,
the wife of our first president.
Navigators and our friends, the "Transitioners"
The beautiful Thea Foss Waterway Seaport and Museum
There she is in all her grandeur, Lady Washington!
(With Ms Moon rising in the foreground.)
Thank you, crew of the Lady Washington,
for our memorable sail aboard the Lady Washington.
We will refer back to this experience throughout the year!
