At Blue Dot Education, the land, sea, and sky are classrooms for exploration, inquiry, and community.
Our learning programs are supported by our cofounders; career educators deeply rooted in community, access, and experiential learning. As place-based, learner-driven teachers, they guide each experience with intention, curiosity, and care.
Nature-based Learning
Our Nature Trips
Our outdoor education programs are led by formal educators and offer young people meaningful, student-driven opportunities to build deep connections with nature and one another.
Tide Pools
Explore the intertidal zone for a chance to see creatures like sea slugs, star fish, sea anemones, hermit crabs, and octopi among many others. Along the way, they will learn about marine ecology, coastal dynamics, and the diverse life found in these areas.
Snorkeling
Students discover the underwater wilderness that is San Diego’s coast and explore shallow waters. Guided by educators, they will explore the interconnectedness of ocean life, observing and identifying sea creatures in their natural habitat.
Surfing
Students connect with nature and their community in the Pacific Ocean! Visit the coast and receive a professional surf lesson.
Hiking
Students engage in guided group hiking with their peers. These hikes are led by educators and feature ecology discussions.
Stand-up Paddleboarding
Explore shallow waters on crafts in the San Diego region and engage in ecology discussions.
Special Program
Community Astronomy
Blue Dot Ed will set up telescopes as part of a star party event for the school community. We have the ability to set up three or four separate telescope systems to view objects either through an eyepiece or projected onto a screen. This event has a long track record of creating community for students, staff, and families.
Nature Photography
An opportunity to engage in nature photography and develop a stronger sense of place and connection to the environment, reinforcing the idea that when we observe and appreciate nature, we are more likely to protect and care for it.
Rock Climbing
Students spend a day out climbing rocks in Mission Trails Regional Park or Joshua Tree National Park, playing on stone while learning the systems that keep folks safe with a seasoned guide service.
In-Community
Fishing
Students get the opportunity to fish spots near their school along San Diego waterways including Mission Bay, Liberty Station Park, Pepper Park or further afield at places like Lake Cuyamaca or Sunbeam Lake.
Overnight Camping & Astrophotography
Special Program
Students have an overnight experience in an iconic park for astronomy and storytelling, as well as ecosystem field work, hiking, or rock climbing.
Project-based Learning
Our project-based learning programs are rooted in the belief that real learning happens when students do real things in real-life contexts. From skateboard engineering and drone design to high-altitude balloon launches, media production, and jewelry crafting, these hands-on experiences invite students to engage deeply with academic content while building essential skills for life beyond the classroom.
Through collaborative, interdisciplinary projects—like launching rockets, composing original music, constructing popsicle-stick laboratories, or capturing the night sky through overnight astrophotography—students develop the deeper learning competencies: mastering core content, thinking critically, solving complex problems, communicating effectively, working as a team, and learning how to learn.
High Altitude Balloon Launch
Rocketry
Our Project-based Extended Learning Programs (ELP)
Skateboard Engineering
Students channel creativity, culture, and curiosity as they design and build their own skateboards—combining hands-on engineering with artistic expression. This student-driven program cultivates pride, identity, and problem-solving while grounding deeper learning in something joyful and personally meaningful.
Media Production
In this hands-on program, students explore photography, film, and audio storytelling while building essential media literacy and technical skills. They learn composition, editing, and sound design using industry-standard tools, all while developing critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration—key deeper learning competencies for the digital age.
Popsicle Stick Laboratories
This program grew out of our work with schools seeking engaging math and science projects using simple, accessible materials. By building within the creative constraint of popsicle sticks, students explore core concepts in math, science, and engineering. They experiment with bridge and car design while developing problem-solving and collaboration skills through hands-on making.
High Altitude Balloon Launch
In this adventurous, hands-on exploration, students design experiments and send a payload to near space—reaching altitudes of ~100,000 feet. Along the way, they study the effects of vacuum, temperature, radiation, gravity, and weather, gaining real-world experience in science, engineering, and curiosity-driven discovery.
Music Production
Music is fundamental to the human experience and plays a powerful role in how young people build identity. It’s central to youth culture, and the skillset required to produce music is both complex and challenging. Using Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), MIDI controllers, and recording tools, students compose, mix, and produce original music—building creative confidence and technical fluency along the way.
Drone Engineering
What began with student curiosity grew into a hands-on drone design and flight program. Students learn aerodynamics, circuitry, and engineering by building their own drones and flying them through an obstacle course. They also gain experience piloting professional drones, using them for media capture and exploring the world from a new perspective.
Rocketry
For over a decade, we’ve guided students through building and launching their own rockets—thousands of them. From nose cone to engine mount, they learn every component and leave with pride, wonder, and the unforgettable realization: they can do rocket science. They apply aerodynamics, Newton’s Laws, and build deeper learning competencies.
Jewelry School
This program sits at the intersection of art and earth science. Students transform raw materials—stones shaped by geologic time and wood formed through natural processes—into meaningful, handmade jewelry. From simple beading to shaping stone and bending wood, students explore design, geology, and community through hands-on creation and collaborative reflection.
Overnight Astrophotography
Students spend a night under the stars capturing wide-field and deep-space images using professional telescopes and cameras. Guided by our team, they learn both sky photography and image processing—and leave with a print of their own astrophotography. *This special program is weather dependent.
Custom Program
All of our programs are customized, flexible, and emergent. Each program is developed and facilitated uniquely. We invite you to share your ideas for a project at your site.
Let’s work together.
