School Groups

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Bring your Class to Cape Cod and experience the fun and excitement of our specially designed courses and programs. Our programs are specifically tailored to the needs and interest of your group.

As well as kayaking, surfing, and beach walks, bicycling on Cape Cod is enormously popular, especially since the development of the Cape Cod Rail Trail. The MidCape hostel sits barely one-half mile from the trail, and you can go south on a fairly flat, mostly under shady trees, slightly bumpy trail to South Dennis - or head the other way toward Wellfleet on a newer section, also flat and mostly in the sunshine.

Add to that the trails at the Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham and you have an unequaled opportunity for sightseeing and getting exercise. The Cape's famous Nauset Beach is only a 5 mile pedal from the hostel.

Schooling and hostelling have a long history of mutual support: ever since in 1909 Richard Schirrmann, a German school teacher, began taking his students on weekend field trips into the countryside for the fresh air and interaction with nature - in effect a "wandering school." Hostels foster experiential learning and exploration of the world, leading to personal growth and ultimately to a more informed citizenry.

Education ~ Experience ~ Reflexion

WETLANDS and MARSH
A WORLD OF WATER, SAND, PLANT, AND ANIMAL

Once past the cedar trees, your students follow coastal naturalist and certified kayak instructor Dick Hilmer into the great expanse of Nauset Marsh. A vast world of marshy grassland, that includes clams, snails, and fish. Kayak to the outer beach where you will see a perfect place to beach your kayak to take a walk along the barrier beach and collect seashells, observe the bird migration, and touch a horseshoe crabs in their native nursery.

What's to learn? You Pick!

Teacher Guide

Handouts - Handouts are available on each program topic so that students have a better knowledge of the hands-on experience prior to the adventure.

Objectives - Study the life of a salt marsh, the most vital, species diverse, and productive environmental element of the coastline.

• To be able to identify the major habitats in the estuary and list the primary characteristics of each habitat.
• To be able to state the role of the producers, consumers, and decomposers.
• To be able to compare aquatic habitats to terrestrial habitats.
• To be able to describe how physical factors shape or limit coastal habitats.
• To be able to list the primary limiting factors for coastal flora and fauna.
• To be able to predict which habitat a particular plant or animal will occupy if given some of the limiting factors. Each program is custom designed to supplement your in-class curriculum.

“From Sea To Shore”
Our trips are targeted specifically for people in middle school, high school, or early years of college. We appeal to those interested in outdoor recreation and environmental education, and those that have the curiosity to explore and learn.

“Salt Marsh Ecology”
The salt marsh is influenced by the changing tides and is the boundary between land and sea, it is indeed a unique habitat with several different kinds of ecosystems that support plant, and animal life.

“Weather Change”
The weather is bound to influence our day. We encourage cloud observations, feeling temperature change, and wind, wind, wind.

Kayaking – A Quest for Balance
First and foremost, we teach kayaking. Comprehensive sea kayaking instruction. Taught by ACA & BCU Kayak Instructors.

Natural History and Ecological Concepts
We will teach a foundation of natural History and ecological concepts. This will include an understanding of how plants and animals adapt to the environment and the impact of humans on plant and animal life.

Outdoor Skills
You will learn how glaciers formed Cape Cod. What a glacial outwash plains is. And paddle in one. You will learn how this effects maritime navigation. You will become a more accomplished kayaker and naturalist.

Environmental Issues and Values
Part of our educational curriculum focuses land use and waterway use. We will raise awareness of the delicate balance required to maintain our surroundings.

Outdoor Safety
Along our route at various stops, we will give instruction in waterway safety, and kayak rescue. It is our goal to make each participant as prepared as possible for any outdoor adventure.

Leadership and Teamwork
The underlying goal of our outdoor program is the rise in confidence in all the participants. Teamwork is a must on any trip. Cooperation, the buzzword. Learning to respect each other as well as the great habitat.

For more Information on Curriculum, contact Dick Hilmer of Explore Cape Cod at 508-240-1211 or email dhilmer@explorecapecod.com

For Rates and Dates, Look here.

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More Fun Things to Do!

The Whales are here!

A whale watch excursion is a uniquely fun and educational experience that links learning with adventure in a very special protected national marine environment known as the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, just off the coast of Provincetown's Cape Cod Bay. Stellwagen Bank welcomes a wide variety of marine creatures, but its key mammal species include the endangered northern right whale, the humpback whale, the finback whale, and the Atlantic white-sided dolphin. We have a shuttle bus service to take you to Provincetown.

National Seashore's Salt Pond Visitors Center

Located a few miles up the road (easy to get to on the bike trail!) is Cape Cod's main Visitors Center. It houses a small, free, museum exhibit about the nature and culture represented on Cape Cod. A small, also free, movie theater shows 10 minute movies on the geological formation of Cape Cod, maritime history including whaling and sea rescues, Marconi's first wireless message transmitted from Europe to the US, and Henry David Thoreau's discovery and writings of Cape Cod. There are also two popular nature walks starting from the Visitors Center with awesome views.

Check our LINKS for Discounts!

And of Course there are the Beaches!!!

The Hostel is located about 1/4 mile from Boat Meadow beach on the Bay, and 5 miles from Nauset Beach on the ocean. Also on the Bay side are Skaket and First Encounter beaches, both great beaches for kids. The water is warm and very calm and has lots of shallow bits. At low tide, the water goes out for miles leaving tide pools and all sorts of critters, including seals sometimes. Sunsets on the bay side are the best on the Cape.

Nauset Beach and Coast Guard Beach are the most popular ocean beaches Mid Cape. Bring the boogie boards, suntan lotion, volleyball and get ready for some serious beach fun!

What Groups are Saying....

August 2005 (Midcape)
Thank you so much for your hospitality, helpfulness and warmth during our stay at the Hostel in June. Everything about the experience surpassed my personal expectations and I feel the same is true for the scouts as well as my co-leaders. Thanks especially for all the hand holding during prep time - it really made our trip fabulous. I can't wait to visit again, perhaps w/o the scouts next time so I can meet more travelers and have more free time. Sincerely, Marianne

June 2005 (Midcape)
Thank you so much, I had an awesome time. Kate Thank you so much for making my stay at the hostel such a great time. Sydnie.

August 17 2004 (Midcape)
I cannot say enough good things about this Girl Scout program! Martha and Crystal were great. Dick did a fantastic job with the girls kayaking and completing the interest patch requirements. Do to an injury I could not kayak with them and was a little nervous because of how windy it was. Dick was encouraging, positive and patient with the girls as they struggled in the wind. He definitely has found his calling. The adults that went thanked me for letting them come they had such a great experience. Paul & Jerry were also terrific, to be on the beach at sunset, with a bonfire, seals swimming right off shore and our own personal entertainment how incredible is that. Our lobster was good and certainly an experience for some of the girls. Martha and Crystal were very helpful with information we needed to get around and very accommodating to our needs. We also visited the visitor's center hiked the Buttonbush and Nauset Marsh Trails, biked a little bit on the CCRT, spent an afternoon at Coast Guard Beach and did some Letterboxing. Definitely a positive experience for the girls' first hosteling trip, some are already looking into were we can hostel next year. And what a great way for us to experience an area in our own back yards that we were not familiar with. Thank you so much for all your help in planning this trip, a successful trip starts with good planning and you helped to make it very easy. Ellen

June 1 2004, (Martha's Vineyard)
I wanted to extend my thanks and that of the members of my group who stayed at the Martha's Vineyard hostel over the weekend for the welcome extended to our group. We had a fabulous weekend. I particularly want to thank Sophie for your co-operation with holding our complicated reservation for so long and for maintaining a sense of humour throughout the slew of amendments we made as time passed. With all best wishes Debra

May 31 2004, (Midcape)
I just want to thank you for all your help and information you provided for our weekend at the Cape. Our girls had a great time and the weather was beautiful. Dick (kayaking) was a wealth of information and even the adults learned something! Tonia was also very nice and helpful. It couldn't have worked out better and I will pass your name onto any other Girl Scout troops that may enjoy something like this. This was our first trip to a hostel and was a new experience for the girls. We really didn't know what to expect. If we stay at one in the future, I'm going to try to work in some time for the girls to do a service project (cleaning, planting, etc...) to help out. This time we were way too busy to be able to help out. Thanks again! Carol

May 26, 2004, (Martha's Vineyard)
I would like to thank you and all the staff for making this years senior trip to Martha's Vineyard such a great success. We had a great time at the hostel. The staff was wonderful to work with. I will be recommending the hostel to other groups at our school. Thank You, Ella

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