Topsfield, MA 01983 * Info@thewhalemobile.com * 617-838-2646
Programs for 2023-2024
The Whalemobile is offering in-person programming for schools!
Your students will love climbing inside a huge whale!
Elementary schools
Elementary schools
Elementary schools
Let's be real--there is something incredible about going inside a life-sized inflatable whale. Kids learn best while doing. Put those together, and this is an experience they remember forever.
middle schools
Elementary schools
Elementary schools
We love the child-like wonder on the faces of middle school students when they go inside the whale! While it might seem like a program just for elementary age students, being inside the whales initiates great discussions with this age group as well!
high schools
Elementary schools
high schools
While we will never discourage anyone from going inside the whale, high school programs are typically assembly based. But being honest, they will at least want to peak inside!
Elementary School Programs
Preview video
Before the visit, students will watch an introductory video in the classroom. This introduces students to the presenters, whales seen off the Coast of New England, and how we identify individual humpbacks.
one class at a time comes to the gym to go in nile
Next, each class (up to 25 students) comes for 40 minutes. For the first 20 minutes, we will go in the whale and discuss how whales and humans are similar, why whales are an important part of our ecosystem and how students can help whales. Students will get to touch baleen, bones and teeth from real whales.
we do another activity depending on grade
After going in the whale, students have another breakout session depending on the grade. (the is the second half of the 40 minute visit). We sometimes make game-time decisions about what activity we do with a class based on the time of year, and the make up of individual classes.
Do it, Do it (K -2nd)
Students get to act like whales. This active game allows them to (pretend to) eat like whales, move like whales, and breathe like whales. Depending on the grade, we might focus on migration, how they communicate, or their social structure. (K-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1. We have found this works well with 3rd grade depending on the students and time of year and we focus on why some animals live in groups and some are solitary)
What A Fluke? (3rd and 4th)
Humpback whales are individually identified by the patterns on the underside of their tails. Students become researchers: they categorize and match humpback whale tails and learn how the whales got their names. We dive into how this research can tell us about the health of the population and also how that can inform conservation.
Food Webs (4th-& 5th)
Students will construct an ocean food web and discuss where plankton live in the water column, where they get nutrients (whale poop) and how energy flows through the food web. We also go into changes in the ecosystem and what that means for whales!! (5-PS3-1)
follow up
After the visit, students have the option of watching a 20 minute video about marine debris. What is it, how does it impact the ocean and what can we do? If they want, they can become Playground Protectors and help keep their playground clean!
Middle School Programs
Inflatable Whale Programs
Classroom-Based Programs: Human Impacts
Classroom-Based Programs: Human Impacts
These programs begin with a 30-minute video (created by Cynde) introducing the students to whales that they watch in their classrooms ahead of time. Where are they found? How do they eat? How do scientists identify and study them? These questions pique the curiosity of middle schoolers.
On the day of the visit, each class (up to 25 students) will come back for a 40 minute experience. 20 minutes going INSIDE the whale and 20 minutes focusing on another topic based on what you are studying.
Classroom-Based Programs: Human Impacts
Classroom-Based Programs: Human Impacts
Classroom-Based Programs: Human Impacts
HUMAN IMPACTS
The human impacts presentation will take place in a classroom. Topics that are covered are how whales and humans use the ocean, when overlap occurs in time and space, and how are we impacting whales. Students will brainstorm and explore solutions to some of the bigger threats facing whales today.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
Introducing or concluding a unit? Bring in an expert to answer the students' questions.
Virtual Q & A
Classroom-Based Programs: Human Impacts
Virtual Q & A
It may sound silly, but some of the best presentations are sitting with students in a classroom and having a conversation about ocean issues that is student led. Middle school students have great questions about whales. If you are interested in having an expert come in for a Q & A session with your students, this is perfect. We will use videos and images to help answer the students’ questions. This can also be done over Zoom or Skype.
High School Programs
High school programs are typically assembly-based. Each one will last 45 minutes allowing up to 15 minutes for questions. If there is space and time, the whale can be inflated at the end of the assembly. Please choose from the list of assemblies below. If you are interested in having your high school students go inside the whale, we can provide provide programming for that. Please contact us for more information, as we will happily work with you to figure out what is best.
Nile, the inflatable whale
Bringing Nile to your school after studying biology is a great fit. We can talk about cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Whales are a great example of evolution so that could be a topic of discussion as well.
"I really enjoyed listening to Cynde talk about a creature she’s so passionate about, I learned a lot about whales from what their structure looks like to what their ‘teeth’ are a form of hair. Personally, I’ve always loved whales but never knew much about them. Through Cynde I found out that these magnificent creatures share similarities to us and many other mammals." -Brooke L. --high school sophomore
S.T.E.A.M. your Passion
In this 45-60 minute presentation, Cynde will share her story about how she took her childhood passion for whales and made it her career. She will introduce students to whales and how they are researched today illustrating that you can take many different roads to find the career that you are looking for. Science, technology, engineering/education, art and math are all critically important disciplines when addressing any topic—especially related to conservation. She will finish by sharing how this childhood passion, that many classmates of hers made fun of, led to a Guinness World Record!
From Whaling to Disentangling
Did you know that whaling techniques of old are currently used to disentangle whales. This program discusses the interaction between whales and fisheries: problematic fishing gear, rescue strategies, and current solutions to this problem.
Techniques to Study Whales
Focusing on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, this presentation discusses how technology has advanced our understanding of whale behavior. Using photo-identification, tagging, passive acoustics, and biological sampling, students will be introduced to the variety of ways scientists are studying whales. They will learn a little about what we know and some of the mysteries we still have!
What's the Connection: Whales' and Human Health?
Whales and humans both face similar health threats. This presentation discusses how nutrition, lifestyle, chemicals and politics contribute to the health of humans and whales.
Fish and Squid Dissections
ready for something different?
Are your students talking about anatomy? Fish and squid dissections are a great hands-on way to compare and contrast anatomy or simply explore another species. Contact us for details and pricing.