When the country began shutting down almost a year ago, all NESS educators were thinking on their feet. We pride our organization on hands-on learning, but how do we engage students when we can’t teach in person? What can we do when one of the keys to our success, experiential learning, is in jeopardy?

A small team from NESS and our event partner, Educational Passages, sat down (virtually) and came up with the idea to host a free virtual regatta. Students were encouraged to build a boat with materials they already had in their homes. Recyclable items were reused and redesigned to create seaworthy vessels, and the Recycle Regatta was born!

The first Recycle Regatta was launched in May of 2020 and concluded at the end of June. Students applied the engineering method to master buoyancy, construction, and physics in order to build a functioning boat. While building upon STEM principles with hands-on learning at home, students were also becoming stewards of their environment by recycling and repurposing. NESS and Educational Passages developed free educational resources to assist students and families in their boat building adventure! From this past event we learned how creative students can be when given specific obstacles!

The first Recycle Regatta was successful but we needed more – more challenges, more reach, and more education! This year e partnering with Educational Passages again and we also welcome the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) as a partner. With all the extra hands, we hope to grow this event on an international scale!

To help us reach our goal we are offering a deal for K-12 teachers! Any classroom that would like to participate in the 2021 Recycle Regatta will receive a $50 discount for NESS’s Sailing at Home Online Experiential Learning course. Students will learn about sailing concepts and explore ways to keep their recycled boat afloat.

Participating is easy. Visit the Recycle Regatta website for rules, regulations, and examples of past submissions. Gather your materials! This could be plastic bottles, cans, straws, cardboard, you name it! Assemble your boat. Test and calculate its speed. It’s okay to make changes!

Submit your boat with our online entry form or print/scan/email a copy to nquaratella@nessf.org. Be sure to include photos and videos! We can’t wait to see what this year’s event will bring and we hope you will join us!

By: Beth (Sassy) Smith, NESS Educator