Goodbye Ashbury....Hello Selwyn House and Rohan Woods

Today marks the last day for our students from Ashbury College. They started their morning with a 'bell-ringer' quiz and then the group split in order for some to head off whale watching while the others spent time in the lab conducting independent lab work; individually and in pairs.  There were many different and very interesting experiments going on, some involving invertebrates, seaweed and even one involving our skates!  This afternoon the groups will switch activities. I have to say for my very first large group of students, these guys were great and very patient.  Thank you Ashbury for a very pleasant start to my journey.

Next week we have two  groups joining us for the week.  Rohan Woods School and Selwyn House will both be enjoying our great Huntsman hospitality and educational resources.  I am sure it will be an exciting and informative time for all of us. Check in next week for more news on our incoming groups.  Also be sure to keep an eye out for our Toddler Time Program, set to launch for October.

An experiment involving Sea Star and the rate at which they turn over in different environments.

 

Another Sea Star experiment; this one timing the rate of movement.

 

 

Seaweed experiment testing the ability to block UV rays.

Ashbury College

It has been a busy week for us at the Huntsman!  We have 34 students and 4 staff from Ashbury College in Ottawa.  They will be studying all things from the Bay of Fundy this week. On Monday each group went aboard our boat the Fundy Spray to gather plankton and invertebrate samples, as well as check the water visibility, temperature and salinity.  They also studied plankton in the lab and toured the Discovery Centre. If that was not enough for one day, these students also travelled to Indian Point to play Phylum bingo in which they had to identify different animals from different phylum.  The winners received a yummy prize. 

On Tuesday  the students toured the ARC (Atlantic Reference Centre) and identified different invertebrates and in the afternoon it was off to capture and mark periwinkles for population identification. To cap off the day the students were taken to Indian Point to dig up some wonderful worms. Prizes were given for things such as longest worm and greatest diversity of worms found.

On Wednesday the students enjoyed some time in the Discovery Centre using their more artistic talents to create pictures for our Colour Spectrum Mural that you can see downstairs near the seal tank. Then it was on to the Dunn Science Theatre for a skyped in lecture on the water vascular system of the sea star given by Fred Whoriskey based at Dalhousie University. They ended the morning identifying the many different types of seaweed found commonly on the shores of the Bay of Fundy. The afternoon's adventures included a trip to Green's Point to study zonation.

Today the students headed off to Grand Manan in the hopes of doing some whale watching. While the wind on the water prevented them from going out, they did see a number of Fin Back Whales and porpoises on the ferry ride over. They then returned to the lab to study the effects of water temperature on barnacle feeding patterns.

Tomorrow will be their final day at the Huntsman and they will be spending it doing some very important independent lab work and looking, again for some elusive whales.

The students get ready to identify some seaweed!

Creating masterpieces at the Discovery Centre.

Using the touch tank animals as inspiration.

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Checking out the specimens in the Fundy Bay tank.

Exciting Happenings This Weekend

Exciting things are happening this Saturday at the Huntsman Discovery Center!  First off at 3pm there will be a presentation entitled MERMAIDS, MONSTERS, MYTHS and MAN by Keith Ronald.  This presentation, given by one of the Huntsman’s original co-founders, is presented in the Discovery Center’s Dunn Science Theatre.  It will delve deep into some of the ocean’s greatest mysteries.  Fun for all ages!!

Not enough entertainment for one day?  Well, stick around for a showing of the blockbuster The Hunger Games, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson.  If you have not seen this exciting movie yet you should definitely join us at 7pm, remember the world will be watching and so will we! Tickets are $5 per person or $15 for a family of 4.  There are two great reasons to check out the Huntsman Marine Science Center this weekend.  You want more reasons?  Well there are over a hundred of them just waiting for you to come visit them.  Check us out this weekend and next week while we continue our Ocean Appreciation theme.  For more information on these and other events visit http://huntsmanmarine.ca/events.php.

Ocean Appreciation Week Mini Course

Today was our last day for the the half day summer program, but my first day flying solo. This last week is Ocean Appreciation Week and with 12 eager students in attendance; we went out with a bang.

Today we had a scavenger hunt that took us all through the aquarium searching high and low for the answers to all kinds of questions. For example, do you know how many different coloured lobsters are at the Huntsman?  Our students today do! We also talked about the importance of conservation and played 3D Ocean Bingo, which taught us about the different ocean zones and what creatures live there.  Can you recognise this creature that lives in the deep sea?

 

I am pretty ferocious looking although I am not a large fish. I can live at a depth of 75 to 1500 meters! My scientific name is Chauliodus sloani and I live in the Twilight Zone.  Who am I?

answer: Viper Fish

Whale and Seal Week Full Day Course

This was my last day before I go on maternity leave and the students attending today’s whale and seal program made it a wonderful day!  We had lots of fun learning about the harbour seals that live at the aquarium and also some of the different whales that visit the Bay of Fundy, such as right whales and humpbacks.  Below are some pictures of our activities throughout the day.  

Next Wednesday, August 22 (9:30am-12pm) is the last course of our summer program.  For more information or to register your child call (506) 529-1200 or email huntsman@huntsmanmarine.ca.

Watching Snorkel and Loki and learning how they are like us.

Having fun in the touch tank.

Making artwork for the ocean appreciation wall in the aquarium.

Life size right whale...awesome!

Putting together a humpback skeleton...now that is a cool puzzle!

Whale and Seal Week Mini-Course

Vicki and I had a great morning with the students who attended the whale and seal program at the aquarium today.  We played whale bingo, watched the seals to get a closer look at their anatomy (do they have a bellybutton?), played a harbour porpoise and herring game, watched the seal feeding, made artwork for the ocean appreciation mural that is on display in the aquarium, and visited the touch pool. 

Next Wednesday, August 22 (9:30am-12pm) and Saturday, August 25 (9:30am-3pm) we will be offering the last two courses of our summer program.  For more information or to register your child call (506) 529-1200 or email huntsman@huntsmanmarine.ca.

Observing the seals (wow, they can swim fast!).

Playing porpoise and herring.

The seals put on a great show for the students this morning!

Making artwork for the ocean appreciation mural.

Whale and Seal Week Interactive Exhibit

Our interactive exhibit at the aquarium this week is all about whales and seals!  Come and play the Hungry, Hungry Whale bean bag game, get a free beluga whale tattoo, watch “Whales an Unforgettable Journey” in the theatre at 1:30pm every day, and match the callosity patterns of the Right Whales and get a special edition aquarium trading card!  Plus on Saturday there will be a 55’ blow-up right whale visiting for the day (very cool!).  

Also, this evening Dr. Catherine Hood will be giving a public lecture at 7pm titled “About the Whales”. The 45 minute session is followed by a short question period and refreshments by the touch tank.  To RSVP call (506) 529-1200 or email huntsman@huntsmanmarine.ca.  

And don't forget to stop in at 11am and 4pm every day to watch the seal feeding! 

Life size blow-up right whale.  Awesome!

Special edition trading card (get one while you can!).

Hungry, hungry baleen whale game...fun for all ages!

Working on the Water Week Interactive Exhibit

Our interactive exhibit at the aquarium this week is all about working on the water.  In the theatre we are featuring two short videos filmed by Coastal Livelihoods Trust, a local community organization.  At 11:30am is a 19 minute video titled ‘We’re Going Weir Fishing!’ and at 1:30pm is a 12 minute video titled ‘Lobster Fishing on Deer Island’.  We also have a children’s fishing game, information about lobsters and lobster traps, a scavenger hunt, and activity sheets for the kids.  Below are some pictures from the exhibit.

An old wooden lobster trap.

What can you catch for lunch? 

A lobster or perhaps a sea cucumber...yum!

Lobsters...king of the crustaceans!

Whale and Seal Mini-Course

I had lots of fun with the students that attended the whale and seal program at the aquarium this morning.  We observed the seals to learn why they are mammals, played whale bingo, played a harbour porpoise echolocation game, made artwork for the ocean appreciation mural that will soon be displayed in the aquarium, did a scavenger hunt to look for the marine biologist’s equipment, watched the seal feeding, and of course spent a little bit of time playing in the touch pool. 

Below are some pictures of our fun morning.

Next Wednesday, August 15 (9:30am-12pm) and Saturday, August 18 (9:30am-3pm) we will also be offering the Whale and Seal program.  For more information or to register your child call (506) 529-1200 or email huntsman@huntsmanmarine.ca

Observing the seals. Do they have webbed flippers?

Playing whale bingo.

Making drawings, paintings and

poems for the ocean appreciation mural.

Watching the seal feeding.

Shark Week Full Day Course

Below are some pictures from our children’s program today.

For the next two Wednesdays, August 8 and 15 we will be offering the Whale and Seal mini-course.  For more information or to register your child call (506) 529-1200 or email huntsman@huntsmanmarine.ca.

Drawing lifesize sharks outside the aquarium.

How many students does it take to

make up a basking shark?  Six!

Doing an experiment to learn why sharks have oily livers.

Shark fin bookmarks.

Learning all about the skates.

Shark Week Mini-Course

This morning we had 23 excited students take part in our shark mini-course at the aquarium.  The group had lots of fun playing sharks and herring, studying the skates (shark cousins), making shark fin bookmarks (we discovered two new species, bumblebee and ladybug sharks!), having a very stinky show and tell with real shark jaws, teeth, skin and fins, and measuring the sizes of some Bay of Fundy sharks (wow, the basking shark just barely fit in the boardroom!).  It was a great way to spend a rainy morning.

For the next two Wednesdays, August 8 and 15 we will be offering the Whale and Seal mini-course.  For more information or to register your child call (506) 529-1200 or email huntsman@huntsmanmarine.ca. 

What does a skate feel like?

Viewing the bottom of the skate.

Making great white shark bookmarks.

New species...bumblebee shark!