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The LitWits Blog

Sailing by Ash Breeze


We've just finished a three-hour workshop on Carry On, Mr. Bowditch--what a story, and a true one, too!  We're glad Jean Lee Latham came across it, and told it so well.  Her book is one of our favorites for rich, natural, "unteachy" learning!

Nathaniel Bowditch is one of those real-life characters everyone should learn about in school--and not just because he's an outstanding role model for kids.  Sure, he's a self-starter, go-getter, chin-upper kind of guy, and we love that about him.  But he also literally rewrote the book on navigation in 1802, replacing one riddled with errors that cost sailors' lives. His book is still used by the U.S. Navy today!  
More importantly, Nat did it by teaching himself Latin and algebra as a teen, in part to help him get through grief. Forced into indentured servitude at a chandlery, he had to give up dreams of going to Harvard, but he chose to make the most of every lesson to be learned where he was. Nat had learned early that when there's no wind in your sails, you have to get out and row.  (Oars were made of ash wood, so sailors called this "sailing by ash breeze.") He kept teaching himself every chance he got, until he knew several languages, astronomy, navigation skills, advanced mathematics, and  more.

Sure, he was smart, but this book emphasizes his attitude and willpower, and his desire to help his uneducated crewmates, too. No wonder his admiring captain kept shaking his head and saying "Carry on, Mr. Bowditch!" 
In our sensory workshop on this book we took a "field trip" through Nat's real world, from nibbling on hardtack to crafting our own navigational tools. 

We're sharing what we did, below, because we had SO much fun, and the kids learned SO much, that we thought YOU might like to "LitWit" this great book too:

  • followed the narrative arc of this story as our "field trip guide," pausing to do what the characters did 
  • decoded Latin hidden in everyday words, as a tactic for deciphering meanings
  • decorated sea-salted, sand-dried log books, and learned why and how they're used
  • clarified and corrected an unclear, inaccurate paragraph, Nat style
  • role-played negative vs. positive attitudes a la Ben Meeker, but funnier 
  • created an art piece from paint, maps, and stars, and learned how to find the North Star
  • painted rose compasses with cardinal points
  • found Salem on a map, and the places Nat traveled on his voyages
  • listened to sea chanties
  • watched reenactments of the American-French conflict, 1800
  • saw a real cooper making barrels on video
  • smelled the tar of the docks and decks, and the scent of cargo loads: brown sugar, coffee beans, and pepper
  • talked about certain story objects as symbols of 'finding your way'
  • built our own working compasses, and talked about the meaning of "inner compass"
  • tasted hardtack, salt jerky, and oranges like maritime sailors 

It's so fun to watch the kids' faces light up when they hear what we're going to do next!  It's especially fun because we know they're learning while doing. They learn more history, biography and coping skills this way than they'd ever have learned from a textbook or video--and the lessons are more likely to stick.

If you'd like to LitWit this great book with YOUR kids, come on over for the how-to details!  We're sharing all our ideas and instructions, free--you don't even have to give us your email address. :) 

Since this workshop was held on Zoom, we shipped LitWits Kits of supplies to the kids first. The personalized note on top tells them to just take out the book; the rest, we'll go through as a class. In case you'd like to pack up supplies for your kids this way, too, here's what we sent:


Doesn't that look fun? We love coming up with this stuff! The food is straight from Nat's ship supply store,  Ropes & Hodges, and the projects are all about finding your way--on the sea and in life. The  details matter to us:  the Salem newspaper we used for packing material even has an ad about a runaway indentured servant, just like in the book!

It really is a blast to set up a field trip and we think you'll have fun with it--as will your kids. Check out our free creative ideas for teaching Carry On, Mr. Bowditch--and lots of other great books, too!

Happy reading & teaching,
Becky and Jenny
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