Programs for Schools and Groups

All hands on deck! Explore life in and around Narragansett Bay aboard one of Save The Bay’s education vessels: the 45-foot Alletta Morris, the 46-foot Elizabeth Morris or the 27-foot Swift. All of our education vessels are fully certified and inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard and run on eco-friendly biodiesel fuel. Marine cruises can depart from Providence, Newport, North Kingstown, Westerly, South Kingstown, or Bristol.

Half-day Marine Science Cruise

During this 2.5-hour cruise, students play the role of marine ecologist, examining the Bay through a variety of hands-on activities. They’ll test water chemistry for salinity, dissolved oxygen, thermoclines and turbidity, and talk about the human impacts on these water quality indicators.

Grades: 3-Adult
Length: 2.5 hours
Cost: $750

Full-day Marine Science Cruise

This full-day adventure includes a stop and exploration of Prudence Island, part of the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, which is a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While on Prudence Island, students have opportunities to walk pristine shorelines, collect and classify coastal creatures and explore undisturbed salt marshes.

Grades: 3-Adult
Length: 5 hours
Cost: $1000

For Complete details, download our program Booklet

Discover the beauty of the Bay’s diverse habitats. Our coastal programs offer students hands-on exploration of the shoreline and introduce age-appropriate scientific concepts such as life cycles, diversity, adaptations, and geology. Some of our most popular field trip sites include: Colt State Park (Bristol), Sachuest Point (Middletown), Lonsdale Marsh (Lincoln), Rocky Point (Warwick) and Conimicut Point (Warwick).

We bring the Bay to you! Our classroom programs emphasize hands-on exploration and are available year-round for schools, community groups, and camps. They are designed to be a vehicle to aid teachers in helping their students achieve the Rhode Island Grade Span Expectations for science and the Next Generation Science Standards.

Grades: Programs are customized to every grade level and teachers’ requirements.
Length: 45-60 minutes
Cost: $150 for one program

Possible topics include:

Classroom Experiences, like our classroom programs, emphasize hands-on exploration and are available year-round for schools, community groups and camps. Taking place over the course of several days, these programs provide students with a deeply immersive experience. They are designed to be a vehicle to aid teachers in helping their students achieve the Rhode Island Grade Span Expectations for science and Next Generation Science Standards.

Grades: 6-12
Length: 60 minutes, over 3-5 days
Cost: $750, plus associated materials

Possible topics include:

In a series of rotational stations, students see and feel how animals use their adaptations to survive in several Bay habitats, including sandy beach bottom, eelgrass beds, and the most biologically productive habitat in Narragansett Bay, the salt marsh.

Grades: All grades
Length: 1 hour
Cost: $250 (up to 30 students and 7 chaperones; $10 for each additional students; $8 for each additional chaperone)

Possible topics include:

• Critter and Habitat Exploration
• Shark and Skate Exploration
• Exploration Center / Coastal Switch
• Bayside Stories for Early Childhood Education

For Complete details, download our program Booklet

Build your own Bay Curriculum by combining a range of programs for a unique ship-to-shore or coastal-lab experience. This customized field experience program allows you to blend coastal and shipboard programs with land-based programs at the Bay Center or Exploration Center and Aquarium. These programs are recommended for large groups of up to 60 students, and program length can vary from two to four hours, with a 30-minute lunch break.

Explore Your Estuary I

Based at our Bay Center, this program allows teachers to choose up to two land-based or lab activities and combine them with a boat excursion aboard M/V Swift. This program can be tailored to your teaching needs.

Grades: 3-Adult
Length: 3 hours
Cost: $500 (for up to 30 students and 2 chaperones)

Explore Your Estuary II

Based at our Bay Center in Providence, this program allows you to choose up to two land-based or lab activities and combine them with a 1-hour boat excursion aboard M/V Elizabeth Morris or M/V Alletta Morris. This program can be tailored to your teaching needs.

Grades: 3-Adult
Length: 4 hours
Cost: $750 (for up to 30 students; $10 per additional student)

Additional possible topics include:

• Coastal Resources: Sustainable Design and Development
• Bayside Stories for Early Childhood Education

For Complete details, download our program Booklet

Homeschool is Cool

We offer marine science homeschooling programs in fun-filled and educational two-hour classes that meet monthly from September-May. Students engage in hands-on exploration of Narragansett Bay, local watersheds, and local creatures and habitats, while learning about environmental stewardship.

Duration: September-May
Ages: 6-14
Length: 2-2.5 hours
Cost: Varies

Narragansett Bay Field Studies

We partner with area high schools to provide year-long, field-based scientific research and inquiry-based programs at various locations around the Bay.

Duration: 10-18 weeks
Grades: 9-12
Cost: Varies

Salt Marsh Nursery

This year-long, project-based program engages students in a hands-on experience with one of the most vital plants from one of the most important habitats in Narragansett Bay: Spartina alterniflora.

Duration: School year
Grades: All
Cost: Varies

Bay Partners, Elementary School Program

Focusing on the local environmental resource, Narragansett Bay, our educators work with participating elementary schools to provide standards-based science enrichment to every class in each grade.

Duration: 6-7 Years
Grades: K-5 or K-6
Cost: Varies

Afterschool Programs

Working together with a variety of partners, we provide afterschool programs to students both on-site at their own school, or at either of Save The Bay’s education centers. Most of our afterschool programs are offered on a long-term basis over multiple weeks, and provide interesting, fun, science-based activities that can be tailored to any grade level. Programs can incorporate boat-based experiences.

Grades: All
Length: 1-2 hours
Cost: Varies

Learn More

For Complete details, download our program Booklet