Some Brooklyn students learned lessons on the open water Thursday afternoon.

The students went on a canoeing trip on the Jamaica Bay in an effort to learn communication and cooperation skills.

The floating classroom is part of Canoe Mobile, a program developed by Wilderness Inquiry with funding from the Royal Bank of Canada. Their goal is to connect kids with each other and their environment.

"One of the stigmas that we're trying to break is that nature and wilderness doesn't have to be far away from home and impossible to get to. It can be right here in your backyard," says Chad Dayton, of Wilderness Inquiry.