North Winds Institute adds Dry Tortugas trips for homeschool families

North Winds Institute is expanding its homeschool adventure offerings with new Dry Tortugas National Park trips, including a two-day launch last month and another experience planned for next month. The programs mix ferry access, Fort Jefferson tours, shipwreck history and marine ecology, with scholarships and state education funding potentially covering costs for eligible families.

Why it matters: - The new Dry Tortugas program gives homeschool families access to a remote national park that is difficult to reach and rich in history, ecology and maritime study. - The trips can align with state scholarship funding for participating students, making the experience more accessible for Florida families and some students in other states. - North Winds Institute is using travel-based learning to broaden its education offerings beyond classroom-style instruction.

What happened: - North Winds Institute launched a two-day Dry Tortugas National Park experience last month with homeschool students and families. - The program includes a trip on the Yankee Freedom Ferry, a narrated educational tour and a guided walking tour of Fort Jefferson. - North Winds Institute plans another Dry Tortugas experience next month. - The organization will also host an educational experience with Gatorama in Palmdale, Florida, on August 21.

The details: - Dry Tortugas National Park sits about 70 miles west of Key West and is the nearest U.S. islands to the meeting point of the Gulf and Atlantic waters. - The Dry Tortugas were discovered by Ponce De Leon in the 16th century and were named for their sea turtle population. - The Yankee Freedom Ferry is one of the only ways to access the national park. - The ferry tour passes shipwreck sites, including the Atocha, and can cover as many as 200 to 300 wrecks in the area. - The route also offers views of sea turtles, dolphins and migrating birds. - Fort Jefferson is the largest brick masonry structure in America and the third-largest fort built by the U.S. - Fort Jefferson construction began in 1846 because of the location’s strategic value in defending southern coastlines. - The Union held the fort throughout the Civil War and used it primarily as a military prison. - In 1865, four co-conspirators in President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, including Samuel Mudd, were held at the fort. - Mudd later volunteered his medical skills during a yellow fever outbreak at Fort Jefferson and was pardoned in 1869. - Dry Tortugas became a national park in 1992. - The islands are the only regular nesting site in the continental United States for several tropical seabirds, including the sooty tern, brown noddy, masked booby and magnificent frigatebird. - The islands also serve as a key first-landfall stopover for dozens of migrating neotropical songbirds. - Upcoming activities may include the fort tour, a shipwreck adventure, saltwater fishing and snorkeling. - Students receive curriculum materials and books for pre- and post-study of maritime history, nautical archeology and marine ecology.

Between the lines: - Laura Islas said the Dry Tortugas add another national treasure to North Winds Institute’s education trips after years of running experiences in Key West. - Islas also framed the trips as part of a summer celebration of America’s 250th birthday. - The organization is packaging adventure, history and faith-based character building into one program, which may appeal to homeschool families seeking experiential education. - The inclusion of scholarships and direct-pay options suggests North Winds Institute is trying to lower the barrier to participation.

What's next: - North Winds Institute will offer another Dry Tortugas outing next month. - Families can reserve spots or view the schedule at North Winds Institute. - The organization will exhibit at the Tampa Bay Home School Conference on Saturday, July 18, at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida. - NWI will also teach a workshop at the conference titled “Developing Resilience Through Adventure.” - Conference attendees who pre-purchase admission at Tampa Bay Home School Conference can get a $5 discount with coupon code NORTH26. - NWI says it is an approved direct-pay provider for Step Up for Students in Florida and has similar relationships in other states, including approval as a provider for Texas Education Freedom Accounts.

The bottom line: - North Winds Institute is turning Dry Tortugas National Park into a multi-subject homeschool field trip that blends history, ecology and adventure with scholarship-backed access.