STEM
Navigation Exhibits

Take Bearings
You’re on a boat out in the Gulf and approaching land, but aren’t sure of your location. Visitors will sight landmarks to plot their bearings and determine where they are.
Chart a Course
Sailing from one area to another requires carefully plotting your course. In this exhibit, visitors will navigate their sailboat through a section of the Intracoastal Waterway to reach the marina. Along the way, they’ll refer to nautical chart symbols to make navigational decisions and learn about water depth, obstructions, buoys and more.


Cross Staff and Quadrant
Early sailors used tools such as the cross staff and the quadrant to determine their ship’s latitude. Visitors will use these same tools to measure the angle between Polaris and the horizon, and determine their position north or south of the equator.
The Sextant
Navigators used a sextant to determine their location at sea. Visitors will experience how this complex tool uses a curved scale and mirrors to gauge the stars and determine latitude. They will take a reading using the sextant and check their response.


Night Skies
Traditionally, navigating a ship at night requires the ability to “read” the stars. In this interactive program, visitors will learn how ancient mariners used the night sky, including Polaris (or the North Star) and the constellations, to find their way across the high seas.
Longitude Challenge
Until the 1770s, mariners were unable to determine longitude because no timepiece could keep accurate time at sea. What if you were “lost at sea”? Through this exercise, visitors will discover how they can use time to tell your longitude on the open water.


GPS/Satellites
Today, GPS is the most accurate way of knowing your latitude and longitude. Visitors will see how GPS uses a network of satellites that transmit precise signals which enable receivers on board a ship determine their location on the globe.
Navigation Game
Traveling the seas is a complicated business involving planning and luck. In this fun, informative game, children (and their parents or grandparents) can collect pieces to complete their nautical puzzle as they learn about maritime matters of all kinds.

Propulsion/Design

Setting Sail
Visitors will use wind to “sail” a sailboat across a table and see how the wind’s ability to propel the boat is affected by the sail’s position relative to the wind.
Full Steam Ahead
The mechanical propulsion of the steam engine changed maritime travel. Visitors can function as “steamboat operators” and make the paddle wheel go around.


Ship Shape
Need a boat? Visitors will define the function of the boat they need and see how vessels are specialized to meet various parameters of size, speed and purpose.
Plank a Boat
Making a small boat with wooden planks is no easy task. Visitors will see how it’s done by assembling one-half of a small, curved-plank boat using flat, puzzle-like pieces.

On the Water

Sea Sense
Advances in knowledge have changed sea travel over time. In this media station, take a journey around the world during three different eras: Exploration, Industrialization and Globalization. Make good choices to reach your destination!
Fact or Folklore?
Sailors have long made observations to help them understand the sky and the sea. Over the years, these observations turn into folklore. How true are these sayings? In this media station, explore some of the most common, and discover their origins.
