During the school year, CISF is proud to offer after-school programs for all students in grades K – 8! Students can sail, kayak, explore, and learn about our natural world in a variety of after-school programs. Help us improve! Please take our short survey to give us your feedback about our programs. Click here to access the survey.
December Programs
• December 5th Vacation Day: Wreath Making (by the Campfire!)
Join us on Thursday, December 5th (Parent-Teacher Conference Day) to create natural wreaths! We will forage for vines around Fort Getty, create our own wreaths, and decorate them in a festive way with lots of natural materials!
Ages: 1st Grade + up
Where: CISF Tent at Ft. Getty
When: 12:00-2:30
Cost: $50/person
Campfire Crafts and Celebrations
Ages: 1st grade +
Tuesdays (crafts) & Thursdays (celebrations)
Time: 3 – 4:30 pm
Location: Ft Getty Fire Pit
Cost: $20/ person
• Tuesday, 12/3: Ornaments for the Birds!
Gather around the fire and create natural ornaments, to hang up at fort getty or your home and feed the birds and other creatures as food becomes scarce in the winter months.
• Thursday, 12/5: Holiday Celebrations Around the World
Learn about holidays celebrated around the world at this time of year through a scavenger hunt. Then relax around our fire and share your favorite holiday traditions!
• Tuesday, 12/10: Ornament Making
Gather around the fire and create natural homemade ornaments with us using sticks and yarn.
• Thursday, 12/12: Celebration of St. Lucia’s Day
Learn about the celebration of St Lucia’s Day, celebrated on this day in Sweden each year, through crafts and a traditional St. Lucia procession! If inspired, feel free to dress in white, as is the traditional attire for children for the holiday.
• Tuesday, 12/17: Natural Garland Making
For our final campfire craft, we will create festive holiday garlands out of natural materials such as popcorn, cranberries, dried oranges, evergreen cuttings, and more! Students will be shown how to safely use a needle to thread their garlands.
• Thursday, 12/19: Winter Solstice Celebration
The day before the shortest day of the year, come and celebrate the solstice with us in the traditional way of having a bonfire and creating beautiful lanterns!
Fall Programs
Session 2: October 21st – November 22nd
• Backyard Explorers, Grades 3 & 4
This popular after-school program will again be offered during the 2nd session for grades 3 and 4. The students will explore, adventure, and learn about the natural world. Children will explore the outdoor environment at school once a week for five weeks with Ms. Haley Barber and Theo Simmons. The students will be picked up from their classes after school.
Cost: $60
When: 2:40 – 4 PM
Grade 3: Mondays
Grade 4: Wednesdays
Where: Jamestown Melrose School
• Outdoor Survival Skills, Grades 5 – 8
Whether you’re planning for your next backyard adventure or a back-country expedition, come learn the basics of how to survive in the WILD!!!
Over the course of this five-week program participants will develop an overall understanding and appreciation of what skills are needed and how to prepare to make the most of your outdoor adventures. Some of what participants will learn include the following: how to build and start a fire without a match and cook over it; how to forage and fish for food; how to set up a shelter, make and use tools; and more!
Cost: $100
When: Mondays, 3:30 – 5 PM
Where: CISF’s Tent at Ft. Getty
• Jr. Naturalist Training, Grades 2 – 4
Calling all budding naturalists! This program is for all children in grades 2 – 4 who love to be outside and learn about nature. We will practice important naturalist skills such as close observation, identification, and drawing, with a focus on a different area of nature each week, such as: Marine life, plants, birds, insects, and more! At the end of the 5 weeks all participants will earn their own Junior Naturalist badge.
Cost: $100
When: Wednesdays, 3:30 – 5
Where: Ft. Getty Tent
• Nature Art, Grades 4 – 6
Join Haley Barber & Fiona Christie to make art using the natural environment. No pencils, no paper needed! Make paint using rocks, create mandalas using items found in nature. Nature’s beauty is everywhere! Come enjoy making art with what Mother Nature provides. If your child wants to bring a camera to take photographs, it is welcomed but not necessary!
Cost: $100
When: Thursdays, 3:30 – 5
Where: Ft. Getty Tent
• K-2 Nature Exploration
Children in grades K- 2 are once again invited to explore the natural world at Fort Getty every Friday. They will spend time exploring and learning about the diverse ecosystems at Fort Getty. Fall is a great season to spend time outside and watch the natural world!
Cost: $100
When: Fridays, 3:30 – 5
Where: Ft. Getty Tent
Vacation Day Programs
• Monday, Oct. 14 (Indigenous Peoples’ Day): Green Crab Extravaganza!
9am-12pm: Green Crab Collecting (Grades 1-8)
Come to the salt marsh and help us collect as many invasive green crabs as we can! We will be learning about green crabs, collecting them, and exploring and enjoying the marsh while we’re at it!
1-4pm: Green Crab Data and Cooking (Grades 4-8)
Be a citizen scientist with us and help us collect data on, and cook and eat, our collected green crabs!
(All kids are welcome to stay for lunch, 12 – 1)
Where: Ft. Getty Tent
Cost: $50/session
• Tuesday, Nov. 5 (Election Day): Survival Skills
9am-12pm: Fishing and Fire Building (Grades 4-8)
Learn how to survive in the wild! We will be fishing to learn how to catch food, and will be starting fires with flint and steel for warmth and cooking.
1-4pm: Foraging and Exploring (Grades 1-3)
Explore all there is to eat at Fort Getty! We will be hiking around our favorite areas of the fort and learning about what plants and animals we can eat.
Where: Ft. Getty Tent
Cost: $50/session
• Monday, Nov. 11 (Veterans’ Day): Simple Machines & Scavenger Hunt
9am-12pm: Engineering w Simple Machines (Grades 2-8)
Calling all engineers! Come participate in simple machines building challenges with us. We will be working with balls and ramps, and pulley systems!
1-4pm: “Get to Know Getty” Scavenger Hunt! (Grades K-1)
Explore all the different habitats of Fort Getty through an epic nature scavenger hunt! We will be hiking around and searching for natural treasures while we are at it.
Where: Ft. Getty Tent
Cost: $50/session
Financial Aid is available for CISF Programs
https://www.jamestownsailing.org/cisf-application-pdf/
Questions? Contact Meg Myles at cisfsailing@gmail.com