The Harbour Voyage Virtual Field Trip
The Harbour Voyage is a 90 minute virtual field trip that combines geo-therapy and bibliotherapy to support the emotional wellbeing of elementary and middle school students. Students board an imaginary ship called The Harbour and sail through real seas and oceans connected to books in The Harbour Library's ten collections, stopping at each destination to breathe, explore, read and perform.
The session is designed around a complete therapeutic arc: breathing to settle, geography to ground, literature to open and Reader's Theatre to express. Each element prepares the student emotionally for the next.
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The Therapeutic Framework
The Harbour Voyage is built on the intersection of two evidence informed practices. Geo-therapy uses engagement with the natural world, including maps, oceans, landscapes and places, to ground and calm the emotional system. Bibliotherapy uses carefully selected literature to help readers identify, process and heal difficult emotions.
Together they create something unique. Students experience the story as rooted in a real place on earth, by connecting each book to the real sea or ocean associated with its setting or themes, students experience the story as rooted in a real place on earth. This geographical grounding deepens emotional engagement and makes the therapeutic impact of the literature more powerful.
The Ten Voyages: Sea and Book Connections
Each Harbour Voyage session focuses on one collection and its associated sea. The full programme of ten sessions covers all ten collections across the summer. Schools can book individual sessions or the full ten session programme.
Calm Waters
The Indian Ocean — Paul et Virginie / The Secret Garden
Safe Harbour
The Mediterranean Sea — When Stars Are Scattered / A Little Princess
Rising Tides
The Atlantic Ocean — Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass / Gifted Hands
Still Waters
The Sea of Galilee — Daily Strength for Daily Needs
New Horizons
The Pacific Ocean — American Born Chinese / New Kid
Open Seas
The Caribbean Sea — Sans Famille / Little Women
Rough Seas
The Aegean Sea — Illegal / When Stars Are Scattered
Visual Tides
The Coral Sea — Smile / El Deafo / New Kid
Eaux Françaises
La Manche / The English Channel — Les Misérables / Ewaoluwa en Français
Deep Waters
The Dead Sea — Hinds' Feet on High Places / Leçons de M. Joe