Battleship USS IOWA Education Programs Leverage Historical Battleship to Bring STEM Lessons to LIfe
SAN PEDRO, Calif. (PRWEB) July 26, 2023 -- Battleship USS IOWA Museum, a top five museum and attraction in the Los Angeles area and future home of the National Museum of the Surface Navy, today announced the availability of unique, interactive education programs that combine history with STEM education. Offered in both in-person and virtual formats, the STEAM at Sea program is designed to engage students in grades 2-8 in a variety of scientific and engineering concepts that can be related to Battleship USS IOWA.
Affectionately nicknamed “the Battleship of Presidents” due to several United States Commanders-in-Chief who have been welcomed aboard the ship over the course of her long and storied service, Battleship USS IOWA began her service during WWII and was decommissioned in 1990. The historic battleship was relocated to her current berth in San Pedro, Calif., and opened to the public on July 4, 2012, as Battleship USS IOWA Museum, where she now serves as a community platform for education, veterans, and the community.
In-Person Field Trips Provide Students the Ultimate Immersive Learning Environment
The hands-on activities that take place during the interactive, three-hour “STEAM at Sea” history and STEM experience aboard the ship, align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for teaching STEM topics. “STEAM at Sea” takes student groups through four activities including a ship tour and three STEM activity stations that demonstrate the concepts of buoyancy, projectile motion, and simple machines. Leveraging the unique learning environment provided aboard the battleship, students investigate the various physical forces at work, examining the outcomes of balanced and unbalanced forces.
The in-person “STEAM at Sea” program is offered free to Title 1 schools in Southern California, with a limited amount of bus scholarships available to aid with transportation costs. For non-Title 1 schools, the cost per student is only $15, and includes one free chaperone for every ten students.
Interactive Virtual Tours Bring Valuable STEM Lessons Into Classrooms Nationwide
Virtual “STEAM at Sea” provides one-hour interactive virtual tours and lessons for schools and youth organizations across the country. The Battleship IOWA education team provides synchronous virtual lessons that include a Powerpoint presentation designed with inquiry-based learning in mind to engage students and encourage discussion. Currently available lessons and associated activities include: buoyancy, projectile motion, naval aviation, energy conservation, ship communications, phases of water and the water cycle, predicting the weather, and maps and navigation. The ending activities highlight the engineering design process while utilizing commonly-found household goods.
Cost per session for the Virtual “STEAM at Sea” program is $5 per student, with free chaperones. Limited funding is available for Title 1 schools nationwide.
“Thanks to our local and regional partners, we have developed a curriculum that highlights the achievements of human ingenuity in the past and present,” explained Tiffany Ellerbeck, Education Manager for Pacific Battleship Center. “Our unique STEM programs allow students to investigate and experience foundational scientific concepts with roots that date back to the time of Archemides. Discovering how these concepts not only allowed the 80-year-old battleship to be successfully constructed and operated, but continue to be utilized today, can be an eye-opening experience that creates an impactful, effective interactive learning experience.”
Summer STEM Adventure Camps Provide Unique, Immersive Week-Long Learning Experience
The popular week-long STEM Adventure Camps aboard Battleship IOWA run Monday through Friday mornings throughout the summer, providing participants in grades 1-8 with exciting ship tours and enabling them to engage in fun age-appropriate STEM activities focused on the successful construction, operation, and maintenance of the ship. The schedule and pricing for upcoming sessions can be found on the Battleship IOWA education program page. Thanks to funding provided by the Crail-Johnson Foundation, children from moderate to low-income households in the greater LA Harbor area are eligible for a scholarship to attend for free.
Overnight Encampment Program Immerses Youth in Life Aboard the Historic Battleship
The unique year-round “Camp Battleship” youth overnight encampment program is ideal for youth in groups such as Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA Adventure Guides, Young Marines, Sea Cadets, JROTC groups, and more. This unique experience, which can accommodate groups up to 150 per evening, includes a ship tour, chow on the mess decks, evening entertainment, and camping in the actual “racks” or bunks that sailors used when the ship was in active service.
For more information about the education programs offered year-round aboard Battleship USS IOWA, visit the Education Programs page on the website, or contact Education Manager Tiffany Ellerbeck at [email protected] or 877-446-9261 ext. 749. For information regarding “Camp Battleship,” [email protected] or call 877-446-9261 ext 706.
Follow Battleship USS IOWA Museum on:
· Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/battleshipiowa
· Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pacificbattleship
· Twitter - http://twitter.com/ussiowa
· YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/ussiowamuseum
About Battleship USS IOWA Museum
Located in the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, Calif., Battleship USS IOWA Museum is one of the top five museums and attractions in Los Angeles, bringing the ship’s history to life through in-person and virtual tours and educational programs for youth. In addition to providing a natural platform for veterans and patriotic civilians to come together as a community, Battleship USS IOWA Museum provides a wide array of impactful programs and resources that support the critical needs of our military and veterans. Owned and operated by the nonprofit Pacific Battleship Center, the museum is transitioning to national museum status as the National Museum of the Surface Navy at the Battleship IOWA to open on the 250th birthday of the U.S. Navy in 2025.
Ken Hagihara, Battleship USS IOWA Museum, https://pacificbattleship.com/, 1 9497684423 Ext: 101, [email protected]
Share this article