While the museum and aquarium are closed for the winter, the staff of Maritime Gloucester is keeping its mission alive: to connect people to the city’s working waterfront.

Museum staffers have been visiting Gloucester’s schools to teach them about water, ocean life and various other science topics.

Recently, Amanda Madeira of Maritime Gloucester led Beeman Elementary School pupils in experiments examining the properties of fresh water versus saltwater.

Pupils at East Gloucester Elementary School learned about the ocean’s food web in a class led by museum staffer Curtis Sarkin.

The museum will be offering a variety of sessions for prekindergartners through first-graders during school vacation Feb. 18 through 22. The sessions, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the museum, are $20 for nonmembers, $15 for members. Class range from “Make your own ‘Socktopus’” to “Giant Plankton.”

More information about the museum and its program is available at maritimegloucester.org.