Demonstrating wave processes quantitatively in the classroom using standard classroom tools (such as Slinkys and wave tanks) can be difficult. As a result, through a collaborative effort, The Plymouth Wave Lab website was developed to allow students to run animations of waves on strings. In the classroom unit that was built around the website, students rotated through five different stations. The activities at each station were used to help students understand transverse and longitudinal waves, frequency, period, amplitude, wavelength, crest, trough, rarefaction, and compression. The website was used both to complement the hands-on classroom activities and as a station. In addition, the team decided to use tsunamis in the curriculum, believing they would appeal to students and stimulate their interest, months before the Sumatra tsunami hit.