NOAA Visits our Park Rangers!

Over the past couple of months I have worked closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the team at the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office in Gloucester (where Mr. Ford works) to coordinate a fun program to bring to the second grade during our project based learning unit on habitats.

This morning, our second grade Park Rangers had the opportunity to explore more about ocean life and visit five hands-on stations. Students were extremely engaged by the interactive stations that focused on the different life habitats, and adaptations of ocean creatures, as well as ways we can help protect our ocean and wetlands!

Rocky the right whale!

Here are some snapshots from our fun morning!

Students learn about the life cycle of a sturgeon and see the size of sturgeon at different stages of life. 

In the next station, children got to stretch a rope and visualize how long an adult right whale can grow, see the difference between baleen and toothed whales, and speak with marine law enforcement. Ask your child what seal artifacts they saw!

At the salmon station, students played a game as they learned about the challenges salmon face in regards to predators, changes in their habitat, and their diet.

Do you recycle? Students spoke with a marine biologist from the conservation department about the importance of throwing our trash away in the proper place. Most of the litter ends up in our oceans! They played a game to show how much trash fish and birds actually may eat.

In the last station, students learned about the benefits of grass in our wetlands. The marsh grasses help protect our water sources by filtering out waste such as litter and gasoline. Students performed an experiment to see what the water would look like if it was unfiltered. Ask your child what they polluted into the fish's water!