The Wisconsin Maritime Museum offers a wide variety of quality educational programs for children and schools that are designed by licensed educators, meet state educational standards, and make learning fun!

Our educational staff will work with your group to schedule a museum experience that can include one of our 45-minute educational programs, a tour of the submarine U.S.S. Cobia, and guided tours of the Museum. We can also suggest pre- and post-visit activities that will enhance the educational value of your visit.

Or, if you prefer, many of the educational programs described below can be brought to your classroom. Each of the programs is geared towards specific grade levels, although some are flexible enough for multi-grade groups. For more information about our educational programs, including cost, please call us toll free at 1-866-724-2356 (local: 684-0218) or email wlutzke@wisconsinmaritime.org.

Fishy Friends (Pre-School and Kindergarten)
Fish come in many shapes and sizes. We will look at a Big Book about fish found in our Lake Michigan waters and investigate specimens of aquatic species. Then we'll make fishy crayon stencil rubbings, dive into the Little Lakefarer's Room shipwreck tunnel, and do a colorful fish search in the Children's Waterways Room.

Fishy Friends Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Busy Boats (Pre-School and Kindergarten)
Based on the children's book of the same name, find out what makes boats different from each other. We'll do some big boat puzzles, play "I Spy with my Eye" in our boat galleries, and splish-splash with boats in our Children's Waterways Room!

Busy Boats Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Ship-Shape Alphabet (Kindergarten and 1st Grade)
Review your alphabet letters the same way sailors have for over 100 years! Read the book "The Sailor's Alphabet," sing the refrain to this well-known sea chantey, find the parts of a ship in our museum galleries, and put your ship-shape alphabet in order on the outline of our big ship! Then sail boats in the Children's Waterways Room.

Ship-Shape Alphabet Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Water All A-Ground (1st and 2nd Grade)
Many people depend on groundwater for their daily needs. Through active, hands-on activities we will find out why water falls down, how it fills spaces and moves through layers of soil, and how we access that water for our use. We'll also learn how we can help keep groundwater clean.

Water All A-Ground Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Lake Talk (1st and 2nd Grade)
We will investigate communication codes made with flashing lights, telegraphs, and special flags used by Great Lakes travelers from the past and present. We'll do some of our own code-breaking and spend time in the Children's Waterways Room.

Lake Talk Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Mail by the Pail (2nd and 3rd Grade)
There are many forms of transportation in the Midwest, including the big ships out on the Great Lakes. We will investigate how crew members receive their mail by the pail on the Detroit River, and we'll even send our own message to a crew! We'll also take a close-up look at samples of cargo and see the mail boat in action.

Mail by the Pail Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Native Waters (2nd and 3rd Grade)
Long before Europeans came to our state, Native Americans depended on the waters of Wisconsin. Using posters, objects, and Native American vocabulary, we will explore water's importance for trade, travel, and food among Wisconsin's native people, and how that need for water is one of our connections with the people of the past. We'll also experiment with water in our Children's Waterways Room.

Native Waters Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Gathering of the Waters (3rd, 4th and 5th Grade)
Use clues to explore Wisconsin's many waterways in this history/geography based activity. Can you figure out the names of the waterways before your time is up? Here's your chance to find out. You'll also have time to explore in our Children's Waterways Room.

Gathering of the Waters Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

A Sailor's Life (3rd and 4th grade and mixed age groups)
See if you can identify artifacts from a ship, put on a World War II Navy jumper or a hard-hat diving helmet, and hear a true story about Great Lakes' sailors. Danger and skill go hand in hand in the adventurous job of a sailor! We'll also experience the Children's Waterways Room to learn more about Wisconsin's lakes and rivers.

A Sailor's Life Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Life at a Lighthouse (4th Grade and mixed age groups)
Each lighthouse has its own personality, and so did the people who lived at these special places. Find out about lighthouse history with maps, drawings, and an interview with a costumed interpreter. We'll see the actual lights, called Fresnel lenses, from three historic Lake Michigan lighthouses, and enjoy some time in the Children's Waterways Room.

Life at a Lighthouse Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Water Wonders (4th and 5th Grade)
Through a combination of hands-on experiments and demonstrations gain a clearer understanding of the scientific principles of buoyancy, water pressure, and weight distribution. We'll also venture into the Children's Waterways Room for some applied learning and fun!

Water Wonders Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Groundwater: It's In Your Hands (5th , 6th , and 7th Grade)
The first step in taking care of our environment is to understand it. Through a series of experiments, students will learn about the porosity and permeability of soil and its relationship to groundwater, how contaminants move in groundwater, and how humans' everyday actions affect the groundwater beneath them.

Groundwater: It's In Your Hands Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Aquatic Invaders (5th and 6th Grade)
Have you ever wondered how many different species call Lake Michigan home? Lake Michigan is being threatened by some invasive species and its fish population is continually being influenced by other factors. Using a time line and a role playing activity, you will find out how aquatic invasive species are arriving in the Great Lakes, the effects they are having, and how everyone can help slow down the spread of these invaders.

Aquatic Invaders Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Lock Travelers (5th and 6th Grade)
How do you get a boat or ship to sail over hills or up a waterfall? Learn how engineers used locks to accomplish these feats, and how locks help Great Lakes ships sail all the way from the middle of North America to the Atlantic Ocean. We'll also have a chance to work the hands-on lock system in the Children's Waterways Room.

Lock Travelers Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Shipbuilding on the Great Lakes (6th, 7th, and 8th Grade)
From tall ships of wood to modern freighters of steel, we'll learn about the many methods of Great Lakes shipbuilding using a variety of museum exhibits, shipbuilding tools and other hands-on materials. We'll also design and sail our own cargo vessels fully loaded in our Children's Waterways Room.

Shipbuilding on the Great Lakes Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Gone Missing: Weather & Water's Deadly Mix (Grades 7-12)
Thousands of ships have disappeared on the Great Lakes over the course of the last few hundred years. What caused those shipwrecks to occur? Using the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald as an example, learn how ship design, storm fronts, and lake bathymetry can all be factors in the tragic loss of ships and people on the Great Lakes.

Gone Missing: Weather & Water's Deadly Mix Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

World War II: Building Subs and Support (Grades 6-12)
Wisconsin residents can be proud of the 28 submarines built in Manitowoc during World War II, the courage of the submariners, and the willingness of people to support the war in their everyday lives. We'll view a video and explore the sacrifices made on the home front.

World War II: Building Subs and Support Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Maritime Jeopardy (Grades 6-12 and mixed age groups)
This team game is great for mixed ages or single grades. Using a variety of maritime topics, students work in teams to answer questions at varying degrees of difficulty to obtain their score. Images, artifacts, and maps are put to use in this fast-paced activity.

Maritime Jeopardy Pre-Visit Resources and Information (PDF)

Download information of all 2008 School Programs (PDF)