The Scottish Maritime Museum launched an exciting new online learning programme for primary schools, and funding to provide free places for the first schools to book, today (Friday 21 August).

The new, cross-curricular ‘Ship to Shore Online Learning Workshops’, which centre on the Scottish Maritime Museum’s most popular Curriculum for Excellence linked STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities, are available from now until February 2021.

The Scottish Maritime Museum, which is based on the Harbourside in Irvine, Ayrshire, and in Dumbarton, is offering the limited funded places, which include a materials allowance, to primary schools in the local authority areas of Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.

The new ‘Ship to Shore’ online programme comprises two live links between the Education team at the Museum and school as well as a digital resource pack full of supporting information, activities and challenges.

Schools can choose from topics and activities as fascinating and engaging as the life of Scotland’s lifeline Puffer boats, buoyancy and Archimedes’ ‘Eureka’ moment, the design of the Titanic and sending ‘socially distanced’ Morse Code messages to classmates!

During the second live link, activities also include an ‘unboxing’ of artefacts from the Museum’s national maritime heritage collection.

All workshops include an activity linked to the Scottish Maritime Museum’s new national art collection too.

Claire Munro, Learning and Access Officer at the Scottish Maritime Museum, explains: “We’re thrilled to launch our new ‘Ship to Shore Online Learning Workshops’.

“We have a well-established education programme at the Museum so it has been a natural and exciting step for us to translate some of our most popular workshops into a live learning experience for schools and support them as they look for new ways to educate during these challenging times.

“With our new online programme, pupils of all ages can get curious, creative and inspired by our nationally recognised collection of maritime heritage and engineering which is so well suited to STEM learning.

“As we’re living in such an uncertain world at the moment, our ‘Ship to Shore Online Learning Workshops’ are also designed to be flexible. The workshops can be delivered to pupils in class or at home if ‘blended learning’ is introduced, for example.”

For younger schoolchildren, ‘Ship to Shore Workshops’ include ‘Ship Shape Science’ looking at the principles behind floating and sinking, balance and friction when designing a ship and ‘Katie’s Island Adventures’. Here schoolchildren can explore the life of cargo Puffers and their importance to Scottish island communities.

Older primary schoolchildren can enjoy ‘Buoyant Adventures’ discovering Archimedes’ ‘Eureka’ moment and learn how boats float. With ‘Investigating Titanic’, they can problem solve using Morse Code, look at the design of the Titanic and lifesaving at sea.

The Scottish Maritime Museum is accepting bookings now. As funding for the free places is for a fixed amount and therefore offered on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, schools are urged to get in touch as soon as they can.

To book, or for more information, teachers can call the Scottish Maritime Museum on 01294 278283 or email education@scotmaritime.org.uk

Issued on behalf of the Scottish Maritime Museum by 

Joanna Harrison, Mobile: 07884 187404.