Puzzled by the language of sailors? Consult our maritime glossary. Many of the terms are ones used by Lilac’s volunteer crew.

We love having children visit LILAC!

When you can’t visit or when you want to build upon what your children have discovered on board, there are online activities to enjoy and to learn from.

The Official Coast Guard Coloring Book explains the many duties of the Coast Guard with coloring pages and puzzles, including an image of a tender like LILAC caring for a buoy. (Downloadable PDF)

LILAC also tended to lighthouses, bringing supplies to the keepers and helping with repairs that the keeper could not do alone. The U.S. Lighthouse Society offers Lighthouse Fun 4 Kids to learn more about these beacons.

There are many kinds of vessels on our waterways guided by buoys and lighthouses. Follow these video instructions to make a paper boat of your own. All that’s needed is a sheet of paper. You can paint and draw on it to make it uniquely yours.

If you’re ready for a more complex project, you can build a paper model of LILAC herself. We have two versions available but both require scissors or an X-Acto knife and glue. They work best printed on heavier than normal paper. You can choose from the small version, which will be about six inches long when complete, or the one that includes making buoys for the deck.

Children’s story books about ships and lighthouses can also expand your knowledge.

Lightship by Brian Floca. A lighthouse tender (bearing LILAC’s hull number!) makes an appearance, bringing the mail to New York Harbor’s AMBROSE lightship, a ship that must keep her place.

Little Tug by Stephen Savage is the story of another kind of humble workboat.

The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde Hoyt Swift is a traditional favorite featuring our gallant local lighthouse and the George Washington Bridge.

In Storm’s Coming! by Margi Preus Sophie recognizes signs that the weather is changing and helps her father, the lighthouse keeper, get ready for the storm.

The Girl With A Mind For Math: The Story of Raye Montague is about a girl who was inspired by a visit to a submarine to become a ship engineer. No one believed a black woman could design a ship but she proved them all wrong.

Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes tells the tale of a dog adopted by the crew of the lighthouse tender HYACINTH. Dogs and cats were common on ships and LILAC had one too.