With a growing body of evidence linking direct exposure to nature as essential for a child’s healthy physical and emotional development, the educational team at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum’s (SBMM) has been adapting its educational programs to meet these needs.

SBMM’s newest learning program, Maritime on the Move! (MotM), is now available for three different areas and in both English and Spanish editions.

This year, with children still studying remotely and no clear date for businesses and museums to reopen, SBMM has been working to redefine its programs with creativity, innovation and technology. MotM makes the most of these efforts to bring outdoor and at-home learning experiences directly to teachers and parents.

Pioneered with more than 150 middle school students from Carpinteria in February, MotM materials include free video and virtual components; self-guided tours in the field; individual activity kits; teacher/parent-training materials; and guided tour maps.

All the materials can be customized based on the needs of the community, the teacher and the classroom, as well as by parents teaching their children using resources available at sbmm.org/at-home/.

SBMM’s learning programs encourage curiosity through exhibits, experiential learning, and community outreach for all ages, with emphasis on California’s maritime history and human interactions with the sea.

The three versions of MotM feature Carpinteria’s salt marsh, beach, tar pits, and seal rookery; Santa Barbara Harbor; and Guadalupe’s Oso Flaco Lake and beach. Additional materials will be developed for the Santa Ynez Valley and Lompoc.

All programs are offered in several modalities — in the field in-person with a naturalist, as a self-guided tour, live or as a pre-recorded in-the-field webinar, and in-classroom with a naturalist — and in both Spanish and English.

By building knowledge of the area’s local nature, students are exposed to some of the complex environmental issues facing the long-term conservation goals of their communities.

SBMM’s goal is to instill a sense of motivation for youth to take action to keep the area’s natural world healthy, and to develop the critical thinking skills needed to understand the complexities of current ecological problems, all with the hopes of achieving a more sustainable future.