On a recent field trip to a sailmaking shop a group of first graders learned about sailing with numbers.
A group of Grant Street Elementary School first graders had the opportunity to see how the math they learn is used in real life, when they toured Port Townsend Sails sailmaking shop near Port Hudson Marina.
“Sails are wings,” said Carol Hasse, the owner of Port Townsend Sails as the children watched employees work to repair worn sails and make new ones. 45 students took the tour in four different groups, rotating through different stops at the marina, including the Northwest Maritime Center boat shop and the beach.
One of the first things Hasse showed the children is that measuring the ship is an important first step in making a mew sail. The children learned that this is a real use of math, part of a “place-based learning” exercise. They also became interested in the maritime industry.
Later, the children put on life vests and toured the sch9oner Martha at the dock. Captain Robert d’Arcy and Mary d’Arcy let the children help unfurl a sail while teaching them the names of boat parts.
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