• Five-day, Monday to Friday program:
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day, except
Thursday for the whale watch which does not
get back until 5:00 to 5:30 pm, with pickup at
Cape Ann Whale Watch, 415 Main St., Gloucester
(978) 283-5110
• Optional extended care:
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. $50 per week and/or
4:00 – 6:00 p.m. $95 per week
• Hot lunch included at Endicott College
• Apply for our Counselor in Training (CIT) program:
Rising 10th-12th grade students call (315) 773-5673
• Limited to 12 children, rising 5th to 9th grade
Grouped according to age!
• $25 sibling or multi-session discount applies
• Scholarships available, call (315) 773-5673
• Call for your personal referral coupon code and save!
• Child to instructor & assistant ratio is 6:1 or less
• Created & directed by: marine biologist, Lindsay Hirt
• Instructor: Hana Stone, Environmental Science major
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Environmental Science major at Endicott College (GPA 3.67)
Growing up near the coast sparked Hana’s interest in marine life and has guided her academic pursuits. Within her major, she is mainly interested in sustainability, conservation, clean energy, and green infrastructure. Hana enjoys sharing her love of nature with kids. Her work with youth includes being an archery instructor and teaching at an intensive preschool.
Fun fact: Hana is also studying music and we can only imagine how she will introduce your child to whale songs!
CREATED & DIRECTED BY
M.S. Emergency Management, Summa Cum Laude at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA)
B.A. Biology, Magna Cum Laude at the University of Maine at Machias (UMM)
Lindsay Hirt, a Plymouth, MA native, loves her salty hometown so much that she decided to make a full circle back here to work after about a decade of academic study and field research along both poles of the eastern seaboard. Lindsay is a marine biologist and educator with a focus on wildlife emergency management, endangered species conservation, and a fondness for teaching others about environmental stewardship, especially kids!
With a strong background in science and Master’s Degree in Emergency Management, she is trained in wildlife rescue for both land and aquatic species. For over fifteen years, she has worked, volunteered for, or trained with world-renowned organizations such as International Fund for Animal Welfare, New England Aquarium, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
During the school, year Lindsay develops curriculum for all sorts of school communities, creates hands-on experiences connected to the natural world for folks of all ages, and advocates for the awareness of all things wild. She spends her entire summer on the famous whale watch boats leaving Cape Cod waters where she shares with the public countless incredible encounters with marine life!
Lindsay will never forget why she became a marine biologist in the first place – seeing her first whale on a Captain John Boat at the age of five! She hopes you’ll be just as inspired after an amazing day learning about our unique coastline and the fascinating marine world just next door to us!
Our study of whales and the exciting whale watch trip are based on a broader understanding of marine biology and environmental science. And there’s nothing like exploring the waters at low tide! With Lindsay’s guidance, every visit to the ocean brings new discovery, new understanding, more questions, and a sense of wonder. Then we use scientific methods and equipment to study our finds from the beach.
Your child will learn to use compound and stereo microscopes, and how to prepare specimens for observation and discovery. Imagine using a stereo microscope to get up close to a tiny hermit crab! We examine x-ray images of marine life to understand their make-up and how they have adapted to their marine environment.
Marine photos: Cape Ann Whale Watch
“My greater education was from summer enrichment, because it took me to another level.”
– Connell Cloyd, M.Ed.
“Grant enjoyed this program so much! He could not stop talking about what he learned each day.”
– Sarah Gaden, mom
“Wow – if your child has any interest in whales and marine biology, sign up for this! Lindsay and John are the best – informative, fun and make each day unique. Our son was not only learning, but having fun – he’s asked to sign up next summer too!”
– Christine Holland, mom
“It was very intriguing – I especially liked the beach time!”
– Will, young scientist
“I’ve always believed experiential learning has the greatest impact for our kids. Our son was enjoying Whales n’ Things so much, he didn’t realize just how much he was learning!”
– parent
Ecology is all about the connections between organisms themselves and their physical environment. To study marine ecology is to observe, collect, measure, wonder, communicate, question, test, record, prepare, recall, connect and well, you get the idea! Children are naturally curious. Whales n’ Things gives them the space, time, and tools to own the experience.
“Edge on Science takes science off the page and puts it into the hands of your child.”
Rondalyn Whitney, mom