Schoodic Education Adventure Residential Program
Join Acadia National Park staff for the Schoodic Education Adventure (SEA)! Bring your 4th through 8th grade students to this rewarding, three- or four-day residential program at the Schoodic Education and Research Center in Winter Harbor, Maine.
Curriculum-based classroom activities and hands-on field experience offer an invaluable learning experience in a unique setting. Situated on the rugged coast of Maine, the campus is accessible to shoreline, wetland, and forest ecosystems and provides a rich educational environment for students.
SEA Teacher Institute
This training, a prerequisite for attending SEA, provides an overview of teacher kits, campus logistics, and the variety of ranger programs offered. Through the L.L.Bean Kids in Acadia initiative and the Engage Youth Centennial Challenge program, stipends are available for teacher participation. The park offers these institutes each year.
Program Details
The low-cost SEA program is aligned with Maine State Learning Results and integrated across the curriculum. Opportunities for study include math, social studies, language arts, physical education, science, technology, health, and art. Students work with artists from the National Park Service Artist-in-Residence program and, when possible, utilize actual scientific and cultural research taking place on site. Students practice small-group cooperation and communication skills while attending both ranger and teacher instruction.
Ranger programs cover a wide variety of topics:
Biological inventory of a forest
Mock archeology dig
Geology walk and bedrock geology mapping
Forest succession study
GPS mapping with computers
Marine investigations and population study by tidal depth
A well-stocked teacher's library is available on site, providing prepared kits about diverse topics. Teachers also have the freedom to bring their own related lessons.
Learn more at the Schoodic Education Adventure website.
Facilities and Staff
The Schoodic Education and Research Center (SERC) campus offers a comfortable learning environment within Acadia National Park. Programs are held both in indoor classrooms and outdoors. The SERC campus has a wireless Internet system for laptop users and on-site computer labs.
All students are housed with their own teachers and chaperones in a modern, heated dormintory with four-person bunkrooms. Well-balanced meals are provided by a certified cook; with advanced notice, food allergies and most special diets can be accommodated.
Program staff are trained in subject matter and teaching techniques, as well as First Aid and CPR. The director of the SEA program holds Maine state teaching certification, ensuring that all instruction is curriculum based.