All of the areas of curriculum are interconnected and supported by the environment of the school and the farm. For example, the boat building occupation pulls in elements of many disciplines and subjects. Boat building is one of the most harmonious forms of self-expression: it is both a physical and mental challenge. The building of boats, by combining the artistic and the analytical, allows students to integrate creative expression with mathematics and science. Geometry, physics, chemistry, fractions and natural science all play a part in the building of a boat.

Specific nautical terminology fosters language development. And because the history of humanity and the development of society are linked with travel on and over water, whether rivers or oceans, the boat offers a conduit to our past.

A student’s active participation in the process of a boat forming from a stack of wood is a transforming experience. It is about learning to respect nature. It is about gaining practical skills. It is about developing self-confidence. The adolescents will be able to collectively contribute to the creation of a useful object, one that will literally transport them to a new environment (the water), while at the same time fostering cooperation. And the effort and hard work spent on the boat building occupation is paid back in full on launching day when something the students created serves its intended purpose and floats for the first time.