playbook
School trip on a floating hotel
A class spends two days aboard a historic sailing ship with a skipper and crew, learns to tie knots and hoist sails, and sleeps below deck.
2d
duration
€ 1500–4500
budget
Ignite
pace
A school trip on a sailing ship looks very different from a day at a theme park. The class steps aboard a clipper or tjalk, receives a safety briefing, and heads out onto the IJsselmeer or the Wadden Sea under the guidance of the skipper. Pupils are divided into watches, help with the ropes, learn a knot, and take turns at the helm.
Between sailing trips there is time for lessons on deck, a scavenger hunt in a harbour town, or an assignment about the history of the Zuiderzee. The night is spent in bunks below deck, in boys' and girls' groups or mixed, depending on the ship. The following day the ship sails back to the home port, often with a competition or an assignment on the final stretch. The coach is waiting on shore.
Checklist
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Schip geboekt voor klasformaat
Educatief programma afgestemd
Ouderbrief verstuurd
Wachten en taken verdeeld
Speurtocht havenstadje voorbereid
Reflectieronde klaar
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by PlayTryBe team
Book a ship through BootBootBoot that can accommodate classes of 25 to 40 pupils, and make clear from the start that it is a school trip.
Ask the skipper to put together a programme with educational elements, such as learning to tie knots, hoisting sails, and an introduction to navigation.
Send a parent letter with information about sleeping on board, meals, clothing, and seasickness.
Divide pupils into watches, each with their own task: cooking, cleaning the deck, helping with mooring.
Plan an evening in a harbour town with a scavenger hunt or an assignment about the Zuiderzee.
Close the second day with a short reflection in which pupils share what they have learned.
For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- Ask whether supervisors can get a cabin of their own, it makes a big difference for a good night's sleep.
- Count on at least one supervisor per seven pupils, in line with school policy.
- Agree with the skipper in advance which pupils should not take the helm, as some children find it too daunting.
- Bring clipboards or large sheets of paper to write out assignments and hang them up on board.
Variations
- - Doe het als afsluiting van een lesblok over de Zuiderzee.
- - Combineer twee klassen op een groot schip met twee schippers.
- - Maak een vlog-opdracht waarin leerlingen het schip aan ouders thuis laten zien.