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CBMM has a full slate of youth programs on tap this fall, with a wide variety of offerings designed to help children learn while exploring the Bay and beyond. (Photo by Sharon Thorpe)

CBMM has a full slate of youth programs on tap this fall, with a wide variety of offerings designed to help children learn while exploring the Bay and beyond. (Photo by Sharon Thorpe)

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Sept. 20, 2023 – The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has a full slate of youth programs on tap this fall, with a wide variety of offerings designed to spark learning through exploration of the Bay and beyond.

This fall, CBMM’s after-school programs include the return of Rising Tide and Free Fishing Fridays, while Homeschool Days and Science Saturdays offer engaging examinations of important topics through the lens of CBMM’s campus and collection.

Open to sixth through ninth graders, the free Rising Tide after-school program offers the opportunity to learn new skills, work with hand and power tools, and explore the environment and history of the Chesapeake region. Projects this year will include the completion of the program’s second stand-up paddleboard, a skin-on-frame boat, and a possible replica build of a soft shell crab float in CBMM’s collection.

Rising Tide resumes next Monday, Sept. 25, and is offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30-5:30pm for a majority of the school year. After-school transportation is offered from the Easton YMCA and St. Michaels Middle/High School and back to the Easton YMCA.

All necessary tools and materials are provided, and no prior woodworking experience is necessary. Register at bit.ly/RisingTide2023 or email risingtide@cbmm.org for more information.

CBMM’s Free Fishing Fridays program invites community members of all ages for catch-and-release fishing on Fridays from 3:30-5:30pm. There are six dates on the fall calendar (Sept. 29-Oct. 20, plus Nov. 10 and 17) for this weather-permitting, drop-in program that teaches the basics of fishing, including casting techniques and fish identification.

No fishing license or equipment is required to participate. Fishing rods and bait are provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own fishing pole. Children under 10 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. Anyone interested in participating should contact Youth Programs Coordinator Sophie Stuart at 410-745-4974 or sstuart@cbmm.org.

This fall, participants in CBMM’s Rising Tide after-school program are set to take on a variety of projects, including a stand-up paddleboard and a skin-on-frame boat.

This fall, participants in CBMM’s Rising Tide after-school program are set to take on a variety of projects, including a stand-up paddleboard and a skin-on-frame boat.

A new addition to the lineup, CBMM’s Science Saturdays will be held monthly from 1-3pm rotating between Little Explorers (ages 4-7) and Curiosity Club (8-11). Under the direction of an experienced educator, participants will learn through hands-on activities that incorporate science, art, and museum exploration.

The Curiosity Club will meet Oct. 14 and Dec. 9 as well as Feb. 10 and April 13 in 2024, while the Little Explorers are scheduled for Nov. 11, plus Jan. 13 and March 9 in the new year.

Registration for all sessions is open now at bit.ly/ScienceSaturdays2023. The cost is $15 per class, with a 20% discount for CBMM Members. Need-based scholarships are available by emailing registration@cbmm.org.

CBMM is hosting upcoming Homeschool Days on Sept. 26 and 28 and special homeschool workshops on Oct. 23 and Nov. 29. On all four days, there is a morning session from 10:30am-12pm followed by an afternoon class from 1-2:30pm. To register, visit bit.ly/CBMMHomeschool.

During next week’s program, participants will participate in the Oystering Legacy immersive tour, which offers an up-close look at an oyster nursery’s crabs, fish, and baby mollusks while exploring how the oyster has shaped the Bay and its people. The cost is $5 per participating student or accompanying adult.

The Oct. 23 workshop, designed for students ages 8-15, goes inside the life of a Bay lighthouse keeper in 1879 utilizing the Hooper Strait Lighthouse on CBMM’s campus, while the Nov. 29 workshop, titled “Feather Weather,” is geared toward children ages 5-8, who will explore how birds fly and their migration patterns and design their own bird-inspired paper airplanes.

The cost for each of these programs is $15 per participant. Students may be dropped off by a chaperoning adult and picked up at the end of the program. If accompanying adults and additional non-participant children would like to explore CBMM during the program, they may purchase a $5 ticket with children 5 years and younger free.

Beyond all that public programming, now is a great time to schedule a group visit for the 2023-24 school year.

Student groups, including school, Scout, and other youth programs, are encouraged to contact registration@cbmm.org for more information about scheduling a CBMM field trip. Group offerings include the popular Lighthouse Overnight Adventure program, which is available this fall for groups to spend a night on campus in the Hooper Strait Lighthouse.

The middle school students in the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Rising Tide after-school program launched their newly constructed St. Michaels sailing scow on Monday evening.

The middle school students in the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Rising Tide after-school program launched their newly constructed St. Michaels sailing scow on Monday evening. (Photo by George Sass)

By Eric Detweiler, Communications Specialist

ST. MICHAELS, Md., May 24, 2023 – With a collective push, a group of middle school students from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Rising Tide after-school program trundled the St. Michaels sailing scow they’ve spent the spring constructing onto the water for the first time on Monday evening.

The 12-foot wooden boat, dubbed Pickle by a consensus vote of the builders, launched into Fogg’s Cove to spirited cheers from the assembled group of family, friends and program supporters.

“It’s fun because you get to see all the stuff that you worked on, and then it’s finally done,” said seventh-grader Sofia Mercado, after taking her turn to get a short ride in the boat. “It’s fun to make something and see it turn out well.”

Monday’s launch event, including an awards presentation and pickle juice toast, was a well-deserved celebration of months of hard work on the project.

Meeting on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, a total of 19 middle school students logged a combined 630 hours toward the project this spring, following Shipwright Apprentice Megan Mitchell’s project plan with support from CBMM education staff and volunteers.

The scow build capped a busy and productive school year for Rising Tide, a free, donor-funded after-school program that has been teaching students in grades 6-9 basic boatbuilding and woodworking skills in a welcoming, relaxed environment since 2015.

“It’s been an incredible experience to see the Rising Tide participants take ownership of this project over the last few months,” CBMM Education Programs Manager Kendall Wallace said. “I hope this project will help to reinforce the ideas that anything is possible if you’re willing to try, and that patience and commitment can result in something to be incredibly proud of.

“I’m constantly inspired by the work they’ve put into this boat, which they can forever point to and say, ‘I built that.’”

Monday’s launch event, including an awards presentation and pickle juice toast, was a well-deserved celebration of months of hard work by the students in CBMM’s Rising Tide after-school program.

Monday’s launch event, including an awards presentation and pickle juice toast, was a well-deserved celebration of months of hard work by the students in CBMM’s Rising Tide after-school program. (Photo by George Sass)

Beginning in January, the Rising Tide students contributed to nearly every step in the process to bring the boat to life in the program workshop.

The project started by studying original plans in CBMM’s collection, drafted in 1929 for the Miles River Yacht Club by George Krill, to draw information about the boat’s shape and size and making a building plan for the molds to set the vessel’s structure.

Once construction commenced, the task list included assisting with milling lumber, scarfing planks, and transferring patterns from the lofting to the building stock. They were involved with the gluing up and shaping the mast and boom, crafting and installing all of the components, and painting the vessel, as well.

Each day brought new lessons for the students, ranging from wood species selection to proper use of block planes to the fine art of varnishing. One memorable February afternoon brought a field trip to the newly renovated Norman & Ellen Plummer Center for Museum Collections to examine a sail in the CBMM collection that was originally built for a St. Michaels scow.

The result was Pickle, which sparkled in the evening sun on Monday with its bright-white hull and green trim. It was the first boat built by the program since launching a pair of Chesapeake crab skiffs, Mary and Susan, in 2018.

Eighth-grader Mac Hudson said his favorite parts were learning the history of the boat and using a hand plane to shape it, while his brother Oskar, a sixth grader, liked getting to visit CBMM’s working Shipyard and the teamwork necessary to get the boat completed.

“We all worked together,” Mac Hudson said. “It’s cool that we got to help make it, and now it’s an actual boat that we can take on the water.”

Students in CBMM's Rising Tide program had the opportunity to try out the St. Michaels sailing scow on the water.

Students in CBMM’s Rising Tide program had the opportunity to try out the St. Michaels sailing scow on the water. (Photo by George Sass)

For Mitchell, the build served as a capstone project of sorts in her final year of CBMM’s Shipwright Apprentice Program. She agreed to take on the project in December and quickly found it a mix of fun and challenging.

“We’ve learned a lot from the project about what is necessary to complete a project like this with a build philosophy that the kids are helping in a meaningful way,” Mitchell said. “That’s so important. We want them to be involved. If they’re just occasionally rubbing sandpaper on the boat, that’s not meaningful and that’s not building skills for them.”

Beyond the chance to teach her craft to the next generation, Mitchell found it meaningful to take a step back in time to complete a classic design with a distinctly local history.

True to its name, the scow is a St. Michaels original, serving as the racing class of the Miles River Yacht Club in the 1920s and ’30s. One of the few surviving examples is in CBMM’s collection and will be featured in the new watercraft heritage exhibition in the new Welcome Center.

This is likely the first one to be built in town in decades.

“It has been very a cool project to be a part of,” Mitchell said. “The Chesapeake produces a lot of very strange styles of boat that are easily replaced by mass-produced, more-generalized designs, but sometimes having this specific design for this very specific place is an extremely valuable thing.”

“It’s one of the things I love most about CBMM and its programs. Here, we don’t shy away from that specificity.”

Monday’s launch marked the end of spring programming but certainly not the workshop fun for the students involved. Many of them will take part in CBMM’s Summer Camp in the coming weeks, and Rising Tide will resume in the fall with a new, yet-to-be-determined project to tackle.

Wallace is eager to make sure it’s something that will allow the students to build on the hands-on skills that they’ve practiced this spring and the camaraderie the group developed along the way.

“I don’t want you to forget the less technical skills that we practiced every day,” Wallace told the assembled group Monday. “We worked as a team, we practiced patience and understanding, we faced our mistakes when we made them, and we figured out how to do something that I don’t think any of us had ever done before.”

For more information on CBMM’s Rising Tide program, visit cbmm.org/youtheducation or email risingtide@cbmm.org. Find more photos of the launch event here.

This winter, there’s a wide array of Bay-inspired themes for youth to explore with the return of CBMM’s STEAM Team and Homeschool Engineering Workshops, in addition to hands-on learning opportunities that include the Rising Tide after-school program, Build It! Workshops and field trips for student groups.

This winter, there’s a wide array of Bay-inspired themes for youth to explore with the return of CBMM’s STEAM Team and Homeschool Engineering Workshops, in addition to hands-on learning opportunities that include the Rising Tide after-school program, Build It! Workshops and field trips for student groups.

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Jan. 6, 2023 – With the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s youth education programs, the Bay provides a lens for understanding the wider world.

This winter, there’s a wide array of themes to explore with the return of CBMM’s STEAM Team and Homeschool Engineering Workshops, in addition to hands-on learning opportunities that include the Rising Tide after-school program, Build It! Workshops and field trips for student groups.

CBMM’s STEAM Team returns with a new lesson each Saturday in February. Led by an experienced educator, children will explore Chesapeake-related topics that incorporate a variety of activities related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math with sessions available for ages 4-6 (10am-noon) and 7-9 (1-3pm).

The first winter edition, titled Sink or Float – Discovering Density, is set for Feb. 4, and the programs to follow include We Love Boats! (Feb. 11), Observing Oysters (Feb. 18), and Engineering Extravaganza (Feb. 25). March 4 is reserved as an inclement weather make-up date.

Class sizes are limited, with advanced registration required. The cost per class is $15, with a 20% discount for CBMM members.

Register online for all four sessions for an additional discount or sign up for individual classes. Need-based scholarships are available by emailing registration@cbmm.org. To register, visit bit.ly/WinterSTEAMTeam23.

This winter, participants in the Rising Tide after-school program are set to begin work, alongside apprentices from CBMM’s Shipyard, on the build of a St. Michaels scow.

This winter, participants in the Rising Tide after-school program are set to begin work, alongside apprentices from CBMM’s Shipyard, on the build of a St. Michaels scow.

During Homeschool Engineering Workshops on Feb. 8 and Feb. 23, students will work together to design, build, test, and improve their solution to a problem within the Bay using the Engineering Design Process.

This two-hour workshop focuses on creative collaboration, engineering learning, and problem solving. Admission to CBMM is included for all participants. Both days, there is a session designed for ages 9-13 from 10:30am-12:30pm followed by one for ages 13-18 from 1:30-3:30pm.

The cost is $15 per student, with a 20% discount for CBMM members. Chaperones are welcome to drop off students, sit-in on the program, or tour CBMM’s campus with a trained docent. To register, visit bit.ly/CBMMHomeschool.

Targeted at sixth-through-ninth graders, Rising Tide teaches the basics of tool use, following a build plan, and woodworking techniques. After completing work on a pair of stand-up paddleboards in the fall, participants are set to begin work, alongside apprentices from CBMM’s Shipyard, on the build of a St. Michaels scow.

Resuming Jan. 23, Rising Tide runs from 3:30-5:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Transportation is offered from the Easton YMCA and from St. Michaels Middle/High School. No experience is necessary for this free program, and new participants are welcome throughout the year. Contact risingtide@cbmm.org for more information.

CBMM’s Build It! Workshops provide hands-on fun for groups of all ages. These programs combine safety and hands-on construction techniques to provide a real-world application for mathematics skills, science concepts, and engineering design.

Under the guidance of a CBMM educator, students use tools to build either individual or group projects, such as bat boxes or oyster cages. The workshops are great for Scout troops, birthday parties, homeschool lessons, and even family gatherings. Prices vary depending on the project. At least three weeks’ advanced notice is required. Contact registration@cbmm.org for more information.

Student groups, including school, Scout, and other youth programs, are encouraged to contact registration@cbmm.org for more information about scheduling a field trip to CBMM in 2023. Group offerings include the popular Lighthouse Overnight Adventure program, which resumes in April with the opportunity to spend a night on campus in the Hooper Strait Lighthouse.

Students in CBMM’s Rising Tide program gathered on Sunday to celebrate the completion of their latest project. (Photo by George Sass)

Students in CBMM’s Rising Tide program gathered on Sunday to celebrate the completion of their latest project. (Photo by George Sass)

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Nov. 21, 2022 – A crowd of family, friends and supporters gathered Sunday afternoon around Fogg’s Cove on the campus of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum to celebrate the latest completed project for the Rising Tide after-school program.

Since last winter, a group of local middle school students have been working to build two stand-up paddleboards through the CBMM program, and during the Eastern Shore Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival, they marked a job well done with a festive celebration on a chilly afternoon that included a ceremonial splashing of the boards as well as a sparkling apple juice toast.

It was a milestone day for Rising Tide, which has been teaching students in grades 6-9 basic boatbuilding and woodworking skills in a welcoming, relaxed environment since 2015.

“I am extremely proud of the hard work that these students have put into the build of these paddleboards,” said CBMM Workshop Education Manager Kendall Wallace, who oversees the program. “With involvement at absolutely every step of the building process, the students learned many new skills, and those who had never used a plane, clamp, or chisel quickly became masters of the craft.”

“I sincerely hope that the lessons of dedication, persistence, and precision that were practiced through this project will serve as foundations for their futures inside and outside of the workshop.”

Students in the Rising Tide program celebrated the completion of their stand-up paddleboard project with a ceremonial splashing. (Photo by George Sass)

Students in the Rising Tide program celebrated the completion of their stand-up paddleboard project with a ceremonial splashing. (Photo by George Sass)

A dozen Rising Tide participants, led by CBMM staff and volunteers, worked together over approximately six months, with a summer break for camp programming, to bring the paddleboards to life.

The first few months were filled with the prep work, including building ladder and rocker tables, sawing cedar for the top and bottom panels, and assembling the internal skeleton frame.

Once the program resumed in September, the focus turned to bead and cove strip rail assembly, top panel attachment, and shaping. Last week, the group sealed the boards with fiberglass and epoxy in the final step to get them ready for the water.

Constructing two boards meant twice as much action for the students to keep all hands busy during class time. One was recently auctioned off to help support the program, and the other will remain in CBMM’s fleet of paddle craft as an enduring reminder of the hard work of the students to take the project from start to finish.

“Although the project had a few complicated steps, most of the work was straightforward and fun,” Wallace said. “It was a great experience for the students to take ownership of the work and see how each component makes the paddleboard look more complete.”

In December, Rising Tide will focus on a series of holiday workshops that offer a free opportunity for students to create unique homemade gifts for family and friends. (Register here today.)

After a holiday break, the program will return in the new year, starting on Jan. 23, to tackle another exciting project. This time, the students will work alongside apprentices from CBMM’s Shipyard on the build of a St. Michaels scow.

The program meets each Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday after school from 3:30-5:30pm at CBMM. Transportation is offered from the Easton YMCA and St. Michaels Middle/High School.

Register at bit.ly/RisingTide2022 or email risingtide@cbmm.org for more information.