Overview
“SPLASH the smiling steamboat” will take you on a 1 ½ to 2-hour voyage of fun and learning, featuring environmental science, history, and technology. See where Washington crossed the river to New Hope, where rafts ferried settlers, horses and wagons and where canal boats crossed attached to a cable. Wildlife flourishes here. Today the scenic Delaware River is a recreational haven for many, and provides drinking water for millions of people. Every SPLASH trip includes a healthy dose of learning, touring, and a good time.
The Steamboat Floating Classroom provides an adventure in creative learning where students of all ages can study the science and history of the river and its impact on their health and environment. The overall goals are to strengthen academic skills and increase breadth of knowledge. You can design an entertaining field trip for your class, club or association. Action and engagement are the hallmarks of this trip.
Prior to boarding, school groups start with:
Water Safety: How to be safe while boating on the river. Archimedes’ principle – that which permits a 16-ton steel Steamboat to float. Note: In accordance with Coast Guard regulations, children 12 and under wear lifejackets (provided)
Next, school classes usually divide into three groups, one on each deck, to do small-group activities in rotation. Thus each student participates in 3 activities, each activity being 15 -20 minutes. The following 3 activities are part of a typical Splash trip.
What is a watershed? Clean water ecology. Using the onboard Enviroscape model, students can easily see how human activities in the neighborhoods where they live, impact a river which is the source of drinking water for seventeen million people. What are some of the ways we can better protect our Watershed?
River Critters: Macroinvertebrates & the health of the Delaware River. What role do these small animals play in all rivers and streams? Why do scientists use macroinvertebrates as indicators for water quality? Students identify these animals – such as crayfish, scud, pouch snails – caught (and later returned) right at the dock.
How does a Steam Engine work? This class is conducted by the Coast-Guard certified Engineer, who is operating the engine on your trip. The engineer will point out pistons, cams and levers. Models are used to demonstrate how the linear motion of the piston is converted to the rotary motion of the paddlewheel. What is the difference between fire-tube and water-tube boilers and what kind does Splash have? If you ask the engineer, “Who invented the steamboat, John Fitch or Robert Fulton?” you will get a boatload of information on this American invention and its vital role in our nation’s history.
How does a town re-invent itself? History of Lambertville and New Hope. Starting with the Native Americans who lived here, our local historian relates how the towns’ industrial history has mirrored the history of our nation. Your view of historic Lambertville, from onboard a replica of an 1880 sternwheeler, will make your guide’s narration come alive. This resilient town once made wagon wheel spokes, then locomotives, as our nation pushed westward. What other industries rose and fell here? Today, the City is vibrant in art, resplendent with beautiful homes and classy restaurants on tree-lined streets.
Splash also offers classes/activities in the adjacent Clubhouse:
History of the Delaware&Raritan Canal In economic terms, the construction of the D&R canal in the 1830s is comparable to the moonshot of the 1960’s. The canal’s purpose in our young nation was to transport coal and other goods to industrial areas. Today it is still important as a water supply system and a corridor for people as well as wildlife. Class begins with an interactive 45-minute slide program to discover for what purpose, and how, the canal was built. Students will see actual photos of the steamboats and mule boats that plied the canal at this very spot. Did you know there was once a submarine in this canal? Following the slide program, students take a guided walk along the canal towpath, and visit one of the remaining canal locks. The guided walk along the canal begins and ends near the steamboat.
Scientific Method in Action: Stories from the history of science.
Electricity: The shocking story. This class is by a retired engineer with a career in satellite design. Brief history of electrical innovation, including Edison’s and Tesla’s famous battle – will the US operate on AC or DC? Highlight of this class is a demonstration of a working Tesla coil.
You Design It Tell us what you suggest. We can arrange pre-trip lesson plans and student teachers from local universities to teach almost anything from the environmental-based point of view. This is education based on where you live, and a river runs through it!