Schools & Youth Groups
My students were enthralled as they boarded the schooner Adventuress. Their excitement about all they were learning was incredible. This was the way to pull together a year's worth of marine science study. My students will never forget this learning laboratory. [A teacher]
I would recommend this trip for other kids. Being there is better than a book. [A student]
Sound Studies and Sound Explorations
Sound Studies and Sound Explorations are programs designed to spark the imagination and foster an interest in science, leadership and the environment. As Adventuress sets out on the waters of Puget Sound, students work as a team to help raise the sails. They learn about Puget Sound ecology and history by participating in five hands-on discovery stations which can include: Plankton, Marine Life, Watersheds, Ocean Acidification, Nautical Skills, and Life Aboard Ship. The seven Ocean Literacy Principles are key concepts woven throughout these educational programs.
The fundamental distinction between Sound Experience and other environmental education programs is the opportunity for students to genuinely experience the ecology of Puget Sound while on the water.
For more information about how the curriculum aboard Adventuress aligns with Washington State EALRs and the Environmental and Sustainability Education Standards, visit our EALR alignment chart. We will continue to update this resource as Washington State moves forward in its adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards.
Program Details
Sound Studies: 3-5 hour shipboard education programs
Sound Explorations: 2- to 7-day journeys of exploration and self-discovery
Group Size: Adventuress' 101-foot deck easily accommodates 45 participants for day sails.
Overnight programs include sleeping accommodations and meals for 24 participants.
Fees: These are educational rates for school groups and non-profit organizations.
Off-Peak Rates*
- 3-hour Sound Studies $1,150 (grades 3-12)
- 5-hour Sound Studies $1,675 (grades 3-12)
- Sound Explorations $2,780 (per day, ages 10+) (Please note that charges are per day, not per night. The first day begins at 11:00 a.m. and the last day ends at noon.
- Group sizes between 14-18 people can come aboard for $149/person/day. This number includes teachers and chaperones. Smaller groups can be accommodated at the 14 person price
Peak Rates**
- 3-hour Sound Studies $1,210 (grades 3-12)
- 5-hour Sound Studies $1,760 (grades 3-12)
- Sound Explorations $2,900 (per day, ages 10+) (Please note that charges are per day, not per night. The first day begins at 11:00 a.m. and the last day ends at noon.
- Group sizes between 14-18 people can come aboard for $159/person/day. This number includes teachers and chaperones. Smaller groups can be accommodated at the 14 person price
*Off-Peak Pricing applies before May 1st and after October 1st
*Peak Pricing applies between May 1st and September 30th
Sailing Season: March through October
Ports: Olympia, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Seattle/Elliott Bay, Lake Union, Kirkland, Bainbridge Island, Everett, Bellingham, Port Townsend, Friday Harbor
To Schedule a Sailing Date
Sailing dates and dock locations are based on availability. To schedule a program, simply complete the appropriate Request Form or contact our office. Fall programs are typically scheduled beginning in March. Spring and summer programs are scheduled beginning in September. 1/3 payment is due with contract, 1/3 payment is due two months prior to trip, final 1/3 due one month prior to departure. There are no refunds after the contract has been signed. All payments are non-refundable.
Click here for a Sound Studies or Sound Explorations Request Form
Click here for our Refund and Cancellation Policy
Click here for an EALRs chart.
Click here for our Teacher Information Page to help you and your students prepare for your trip
Goals of Sound Studies and Sound Explorations
The goal of a Sound Studies or Sound Explorations program, as with all programs offered by Sound Experience, can be summarized in a single word: awareness. As our mission states, people will protect what they learn to value.
The most effective way to have a lasting impact in this area is to meet the following goals for every program. Participants will:
- Leave with a heightened awareness of Puget Sound as a fragile ecosystem, understand the concept of a whole system, and how Adventuress and the earth both illustrate this concept.
- Recognize the interrelationships that exist between all life. Identify the positive and negative impacts that they as individuals have on the Puget Sound ecosystem. Recognize their ability to take action by raising others’ awareness and making responsible choices. Understand the necessity of cooperation as a course to action.
- Learn that Puget Sound is an incredible, diverse and productive ecosystem and that the waterways we all share are fragile and need our care.
- Most importantly, students learn that they can make a difference.
Students will work cooperatively to set the sails and participate in a variety of hands-on learning stations which vary from trip to trip. Our standard program includes these five stations:
Plankton The Plankton lesson will provide students with an understanding of the definition of plankton, types of plankton found in Puget Sound waters, their place in the ocean ecosystem, their role in the food web, and their connection to environmental factors in the atmosphere and on land.
Watersheds The Watersheds lesson will provide students with an understanding of the concept of watersheds, the characteristics of the Puget Sound watershed region, connection to their local/neighborhood water, identification of sources of watershed-based pollution, and the role that they can play in limiting harmful watershed impacts on the Puget Sound and its inhabitants.
Marine Life The Marine Life lesson will provide students with an understanding of the diversity of marine life in the Puget Sound, particularly the organisms that inhabit the intertidal and near-shore zones.
Ocean Acidification The Ocean Acidification lesson will help students understand the process of ocean acidification, its causes, and its increasingly damaging impact on marine life. Students will be empowered to identify and change aspects of their daily behavior that contribute to ocean acidification.
Life Aboard Ship The Life Aboard station will use the unique concept of living aboard a tall ship to engage participants in a discussion of conservation. It takes place below-deck and uses Adventuress to illustrate what a person really needs to subsist, identifying essential needs and exploring the implications of misusing resources. In this station we use Adventuress as a metaphor of Earth, a closed system.
Nautical Skills This station is intended to allow the watch groups to learn by working together, with a focus on cooperative actions, and feel the responsibility of steering Adventuress. As this is a very weather dependent station it is important to have many optional activities that may include knot tying, sail setting and striking, navigation, or sail theory and the ability to explain the mechanics of tacking and gybing.
Please note: Some activities are weather-dependent.