Montessori Middle School Adds Boat Building to Curriculum

Montessori Middle School of Cape Cod Boat Building Program Nears Skiff Completion

NORTH FALMOUTH - The Montessori Middle School of Cape Cod students are successfully building a rowing skiff.   Ten middle school students began working on their first boat during the first quarter of this school year by building scale models of The Lumber Yard Skiff using plans from Wooden Boat Magazine.

Once they had experienced the steps with poster board, all ten students moved out to the boat building shed on Coonamessett Farm to begin the process with pine and cedar.  Using mostly hand tools, the students have laid out and cut the sides from pine, built the mold and braces, attached the sides to the stem, added the transom, and are now planking the bottom using cedar and bronze boat building screws.

The boat’s progress will be available for viewing at the Montessori Middle School of Cape Cod open houses April 6, 2008 and May 4, 2008 from 1-3 pm.

This boat is being traditionally constructed, tying in the boat building tradition of Cape Cod and allowing the students to develop wood working skills and practice practical math skills.  Using the Montessori method, students have applied their knowledge of measurement, geometry, fractions, including the Pythagorean Theorem and supplementary and complementary angles.

At the Montessori Middle School of Cape Cod students are a part of experiential learning in all areas of the curriculum.  The boat building class ties together arithmetic, geometry, working as a team, reading plans, and understanding the importance of following directions.  In addition the students learn wood working skills and the types and characteristics of wood.

The students have a scheduled boat building period at least once a week and boat building is also available as an optional activity during some other periods in the week. 

The boat is on schedule to be painted, named and launched in Pickerel’s Pond at Coonamessett Farm in May.  After the boat launch the students will learn basic seamanship skills such as rowing, navigating, and maintaining a traditional wooden boat.

This skiff is the start of a fleet of boats to be built at the Montessori Middle  School of Cape Cod.  Boat building work will be a permanent part of the curriculum.   The boat’s progress will be available for viewing at the Montessori Middle School of Cape Cod open houses April 6, 2008 and May 4, 2008 from 1-3 pm.

Please view the Montessori Middle School of Cape Cod web site www.capecodmontessori.org or contact Jeff Allen 774-994-7588 for more information.