As the only girls' school based on Quaker values in the United States, Lincoln honors the value of each individual while centering the Quaker values of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship (SPICES).
Save the Bay
Included in our Lower School Division, Kindergarten through Grade 5
Lincoln’s Save the Bay program is an exciting part of our Lower School program (K–Grade 5). Save the Bay's mission is to protect and improve Narragansett Bay, a mission that’s woven into our curriculum through hands-on field experiences that give students the chance to explore the world outside of Lincoln’s walls.
With Save the Bay educators and our classroom teachers, students splash amongst the tidal streams of Colt State Park, pet squid while on a boat in the middle of Narragansett Bay, and stomp through the salt marshes of Prudence Island at high tide. This is a reminder of the power of taking learning beyond the classroom. By not restricting learning to just those places we call “school,” we understand that learning is everywhere when we engage with the world around us. With each grade level from Kindergarten to Grade 5 having four field experiences every year, our Lower School students begin to see the Bay as an extension of the school they love. Our Save the Bay trips have been planned to support and enhance our curriculum, providing a hands-on, real-world application of what they have been (or will be) learning in science lessons.
Science is All Around Us
Save the Bay teaches us that science is messy!
We learn that it is multi-faceted, not one-size-fits all—some of us enjoy the chemistry of water testing, while others are fascinated by the biology of crab adaptations.
But most importantly, we learn with every trip and exploration that science is real and all around us. And of course, there really is no better way than seeing science in action out on our beautiful Narragansett Bay!
Save the Bay Curriculum
Kindergarten (Intro to Bay): In Kindergarten, students learn about Narragansett Bay and its animals, including a focus on fish, horseshoe crabs, and hermit crabs. They learn that the water in Narragansett Bay is a special mixture of both salt and fresh, creating a unique ecosystem with brackish water.
Grade 1 (Habitats): Building off our classroom study of habitats, Grade 1’s field experiences are focused on various habitats within Narragansett Bay, including the salt marsh, sandy beach, and rocky shore. On their trips, they are able to explore these habitats to see how they (and the animals that live there) are different. In the salt marshes of Colt State Park, for example, we feel the peat jiggle beneath our feet as we scour the mud, hunting for fiddler crabs, while at the rocky shore we find periwinkles and mussels attaching themselves to the slimy rocks.
Grade 2 (Adaptations): Grade 2s Save the Bay curriculum focuses on the adaptations of the animals who call Narragansett Bay home. We meet the small (hermit crabs and jellies) to the large (harbor seals), learning about what is special about each animal to enable it to live in Narragansett Bay.
Grade 3 (Impact of Humans on Water and Vice Versa): In Grade 3, our Save the Bay trips focus on the impact that humans have on the water. We study the Narragansett Bay watershed, and take a tour of the Narragansett Bay Commission’s wastewater treatment plant. On our Urban River Cruise, we explore the ecosystem of the rivers that lead into the Bay, including taking water quality samples and analyzing them for temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen.
Grade 4 (Climate Change): Grade 4’s field experiences focus on climate change: what it is, why it is happening, how it is affecting Narragansett Bay, and what we can do to change it. In our marine science cruise, we meet some of the animals in the Bay and learn how warming waters are affecting various species in particular.
Grade 5 (Salt Marshes): Grade 5’s field experiences are dedicated to learning about the importance of salt marshes to estuary systems such as Narragansett Bay. In the fall, students explore the health salt marshes on Prudence Island while learning why these habitats are so important. While in the marsh, we collect salt marsh grass seeds to plant in the classroom later in the winter. Finally, in May, we plant those salt marsh grasses in a rescued salt marsh, in conjunction with Save the Bay’s Restoration Team and their ongoing work at Quonnie Point in Charlestown.