Let's Build a Sailboat

Children will learn boat-building techniques under the instruction of experienced boat-builders and in collaboration with local traditional sailing club and secondary school; Galway Community College. Rigging and all aspects of crewing will be covered throughout the project while the pupils gain an understanding of ocean life. By building their own boat, it encourages an all round approach to maintaining, learning theory of sailing, how to sail and the practicalities and responsibilities associated with having a sailboat. The local marine environment and the biodiversity surrounding us will be taught throughout the project. Children will develop skills to navigate through social difficulties and use nature to enhance well being.
To complete this project and meet the objectives above, the children will work alongside the wider school community of teachers, professionals and parents to build their sailing boat.
Throughout this project, our school community, aims to work alongside a local traditional sailing club, local businesses and a paired secondary school. This gives us a huge opportunity to learn skills from experienced professionals within the marine industry and associated with it. We also will benefit from peer teaching as students in a neighbouring secondary school will also be running the same project concurrently.
Finding the blue connection in our area is imperative as our school is a few km from the coastline. We have an avid interest in learning more about the ocean and getting out there on a boat, that we’ve built ourselves, is a great way to do this.
One area that we have decided to focus on, through the blue school project, is youth mental health and well being. This is a huge issue in youth and this is a way to get children working with their hands, learning new skills and getting outdoors and working within the natural world.