I recently returned from a journey where I saw many wonderful and enchanting lighthouses. There are so many different questions that I thought about while enjoying all of these lighthouses. How do they work? What purpose do they serve? How did they operate in the past? How and why are lighthouses built today?
What would I include in a lighthouse if I designed one? (My lighthouse would resemble a five-star hotel – just saying.)
There are so many interesting stories about lighthouses of the past that could be a jumping off point for authentic projects. I heard about a lighthouse keeper in Portland, Maine who became bored with just tending the lighthouse. He began to carve wooden horses that he sold for 75 cents to the local market. Today these horses are worth thousands of dollars each. An authentic project could be to develop other ways to pass the time while tending a lighthouse.
While purchasing a memento of the Egg Rock Lighthouse in Bar Harbor, Maine, the charming woman at the cash register introduced herself as the granddaughter of the last keepers of that lighthouse. She briefly shared her story with me. I wish I had had time to hear more about her grandparents! Another jumping off point for an authentic project, reading stories about past lighthouse keepers, and perhaps creating a compilation, journal, or even writing new stories based on past stories – endless possibilities… 
Grace, whose grandparents tended the Egg Rock Lighthouse near Bar Harbor, Maine
The Educational Journey 