Wind & Oar programs give kids hands-on woodworking experience while making math and science relevant. We provide a space to develop critical thinking, team building and leadership skills, all of which are important aspects of successful career development.
~ It's bigger than the boat! ~
Partnering with public schools and youth serving organizations, we deliver experiential project based learning to youth across the Portland Metro region. Our program primarily engages 5th-12th grade students. These are students who attend under-resourced schools and/or are from communities striving to overcome inequitable systems and institutions. Building wooden boats is an innovative and unique platform for developing an array of academic, practical, and social skills. "It's bigger than the boat!" Our hands-on, minds-on, project based programs offer an integrated curriculum linking math, science, and art and design. Students develop critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Our project-based curriculum enriches learning in 5–12th grade classrooms and embraces a student-centered approach. We believe that learning from process and experience is the best way to prepare students for the challenges they will face in our increasingly complex, global society. The craft of wooden boat building incorporates the “4 C’s” of 21st century skills—collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity—which are vital to lifelong success. Every partnership is tailored to align with the experience and perspective of the students and community. Our workshop activities include an array of academic fcuses and lesson plans. Attendance figures and anecdotal evidence show that we successfully inspire students to come to school and engage in their own learning. By connecting hands to mind and challenging them to think creatively and critically using real-world problems, students develop faith in their own abilities. Projects ranges from 30/150 hours of instruction through which students build simple rowing skiffs to complex, sophisticated sail boats.
How we do it
We use a range of boats, from card stock models to complex sailboats, as platforms for reading and interpreting plans, developing a course of action, anticipating actions, and finally, executing the process in a team dynamic with the tools available. These tools include traditional hand woodworking tools as well as modern shop tools.
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