No School, Camp's Cool! - Seal Day

Today was Seal Day during the 'No School, Camp's Cool!' day program.  

Check out some pictures from the day's activities.

 

Learning the differences between seals and sea lions.

The pinniped relay race (being a harbour seal on land).

Making harbour seal masks...

which were each different and unique, just like real seals!

Baby snow seal...cute!

Putting the whiskers on the seal leaping out the water.

Seal puzzles...wow, some were pretty intricate!

Doing an experiment to see why seals exhale before diving.

Board games to test their 'seal' knowledge.

The star of the day, Snorkel!

Ocean Discovery - Tobique Valley

Tuesday we welcomed a group of excited Grade 6 students from Tobique Valley Middle School to campus to participate in the Ocean Discovery Program.  While the students were here they viewed plankton from Passamaquoddy Bay using the microscopes, studied the classification of local marine invertebrates, such as Acadian hermit crabs and rock crabs, had lunch around the touch tank, explored the intertidal zone at Brandy Cove, finding mussels, barnacles, periwinkles, sideswimmers, and green crabs (one was only a few millimeters long!), watched Snorkel and Loki, the harbour seals have their supper, and got up close and personal with Lily, the blue lobster.  It was wonderful to be able to introduce the ocean to some of the students who had never been previously!

Below are some highlights from our great day.

Playing plankton bingo.

View of phytoplankton through the microscope.

Drawing phytoplankton and zooplankton species.

Fun at the touch tank!

Measuring a scallop, carefully...they squirt water!

Drawing and describing a hermit crab.

Snorkel, the harbour seal.

Ocean Discovery - St. Stephen Middle School

This week Grade 6 students from St. Stephen Middle School have been visiting the Huntsman to take part in the Ocean Discovery Program.  While here the students were introduced to the microscopic world of plankton, studied marine arthropods and non-arthropods, learned about the amazing life of lobsters, had lunch around the touch tank, and one of the classes was able to explore the intertidal zone.  There was lots of learning and fun as you can see in the pictures below.

Tomorrow we will visit the students at their school to conduct an echinoderm behaviour experiment and learn about the challenges of measuring biodiversity.

Learning how to use the microscope.

Drawing phytoplankton and zooplankton.

View of a copepod and lots of phytoplankton.

Making a classification system.

The students in the aquarium lab.

Drawing and describing a hermit crab.

The black spots are the scallop's eyes!

Genny's lobster talk.

Having time with Pumpkin the calico lobster.

A one year old lobster specimen.

The girls found green crabs in the intertidal zone!

Beautiful blood star.

A sea star with its stomach ejected.

Fun at the touch tank during lunch break.

Lorne Middle - Ocean Discovery

Today we had grade 6 students from Lorne Middle School visit the aquarium to take part in the Ocean Discovery program, which links to the curriculum unit Life Science: Diversity of Life.  While in the lab the students used microscopes to view plankton, which is the basis of the marine food chain.  They were able to see many different types of phytoplankton and zooplankton, including copepods.  After a quick lunch around the touch tank the students were back in the lab to get a closer look at local marine invertebrates.  The students did drawings and descriptions of two arthropods (a hermit crab and a green crab) and a non-arthropod (blood star or scallop), and then looked up the animal's Latin name in a field guide.  Just before leaving the students had a bit of time to look around the aquarium and visit the touch tank again.

Playing Plankton Bingo!

A copepod (which that famous Plankton from TV is based)!

Plankton through the microscope.

Touch tank fun!

A waved whelk at the touch tank.

Is it a boy or a girl green crab?

Studying hermit crabs in the lab. 

Creatures in Your Marine Backyard

Yesterday I visited the Grade 4 classes at St. George Elementary and Pennfield Elementary as part of Huntsman's new program, Creatures in Your Marine Backyard.  This program takes animals from the intertidal zone, such as periwinkles, green crabs, sand dollars, and sea stars to Grade 4 classrooms in our local area.  The program connects to portions of the Grade 4 curriculum, Life Science: Habitats and acts as a preface to Huntsman's Grade 6 Ocean Discovery program.  Both programs allow students to become better connected with their local ocean environment through hands-on interaction.

The Grade 4 - Creatures in Your Marine Backyard program is generously supported by the Fundy Community Foundation.

Sea stars are always a favourite!

Students at St. George Elementary exploring the intertidal animals.

The beautiful sand dollars.

Some of the students at Pennfield Elementary even 

overcame their fears to touch the animals.

Learning to hold a crab properly.

March Break - Invertebrate Day

Today was Invertebrate Day during the March Break day program at the aquarium.  Some of the activities we did today were look for invertebrates and vertebrates in the touch tanks, go in search of invertebrates in the intertidal zone, and learn about clam and squid anatomy.  The 'pirate ship' in the children's area of the aquarium was also very popular!

Learning about clam anatomy.

In search of invertebrates and vertebrates in the touch tank.

At the beach we found a scale worm, 

some green crabs, 

and a sea cucumber!

Squid!

March Break - Lobster Day

Today was Lobster Day during the March Break day program at the aquarium.  The students started the day meeting Pinchy the lobster and learning about her anatomy and life cycle.  Then they investigated the rock crabs and hermit crabs in the touch tank.  After observing how the rock crabs move the students walked like a crab during a fun relay race.  Crafts today included making a sea spider and an arthropod origami cootie catcher.

Below are some pictures from the day.

Getting up close to Pinchy.

Beautiful Pinchy.

A rock crab in the touch tank.

Crab races!

Sea spider craft.

Why did the crab cross the road?  To get to the other tide!