Young Explorer Marine Biology Week 2017

This week at the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium we had a weeklong marine biology program for ages 5-11. Here are a few pictures from our week of hands-on learning.

Day 1 - Theme: Ocean 

Learning about currents created by temperature.

Making a craft of the intertidal zone.

Is the tide going out or in?

Exploring the intertidal zone.

The students found many rock gunnel fish.

They also found lots of little sea urchins.

Everyone got practice holding crabs.

The students even found a green crab with eggs.

How many pennies can your boat hold?

I think the most was over 60 pennies!

Day 2 - Theme: Marine Debris 

Experimenting to see which plastics float and sink.

Which animals might be affected by floating or sinking plastic debris.

Playing bingo to learn about ways to prevent marine debris.

Looking at the Bow Seat ocean health art gallery.

Making posters to teach people about marine debris.

Beach cleanup.

Using marine debris to create art.

One of the finished pieces.

Day 3 - Theme: Seabirds

Day 4 - Theme: Deep Sea

Making deep sea landers.

Testing out the prototypes.

Learning about deep sea species such as the basket star.

Exploring the beach.

We found more green crabs.

Day 5 - Theme: Fish

Making an angler fish craft.

Dissecting herring and mackerel.

Feeding the herring and mackerel to the animals in the touch tank.

Seabird Young Explorer Day 2017

Imagine living your whole life in the ocean, only coming to land to mate. This is the life of a seabird. Students attending the Young Explorer Day program at the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium yesterday had the opportunity to learn about seabird adaptations and migration. We also had a look at the live puffin and guillemot burrow cameras from Seal Island in Maine.

Fun at the touch tank.

Students had to identify and study a seabird, such as this tern.

The students enjoyed working with the gannet specimen.

The students made arctic terns.

Eating like a seabird game. 

Making a migration craft.

Watch the shearwater migrating from the Bay of Fundy to Tristan da Cunha in the south Atlantic Ocean.

We look forward to next week's Shark Young Explorer Wednesday program which is full. If your child would like to attend more marine biology programs this summer we have space available for Microscopic Wednesday, August 16 and Lobster Wednesday, August 23. We also have space in our new Advanced Explorer program for children aged 11-15. These programs are offered August 10, 17 & 24. And don't forget our program Marine Debris into Art which is being offered August 21 in partnership with Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre. For information on our programs or to register please call 506-529-1245.

Introduction to Marine Mammals & Seabirds 2017

New this summer we offered an introduction to marine mammals and seabirds field course to the public. We had some new faces and a few students that participated in other field courses with us.

The course included whale, seal and seabird watching on the Bay of Fundy with Quoddy Link Marine, studying plankton, aging porpoise teeth in the lab, touring the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium, learning to identify individual right whales, playing whale and seal communication games, visiting the bird banding station on campus, debating, and digging up a seal skeleton. Students also have the opportunity to explore and visit town, the beautiful St. Andrews by-the-Sea.

While taking the course participants stay on campus in our residences and eat in our dining hall. It is a truly immersive experience.

Here are a few pictures of our week.

Learning seal and whale terminology.

Touring the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium.

Working on a presentation about the minke whale.

Learning to identify right whales based on their callosities patterns.

Heading out onto the Bay of Fundy in search of marine mammals and seabirds.

Harbour and grey seals hauled out on Black Rock.

Grey seals in the water around Black Rock.

Looks comfy!

Stopped at White Horse Island to see the kittiwakes.

Black-legged kittiwakes on White Horse Island.

Kittiwake on a nest.

Guillemots

Razorbills

Harbour porpoise

Head Harbour Lighthouse on Campobello (also called East Quoddy Head).

Minke whale close to Campobello Island.

Minke whale

Old Sow off the tip of Deer Island.

Bonaparte's gull

Using microscopes to look at plankton, the base of the marine food chain.

Learning about bird banding.

Learning about seabird adaptations.

Day 2 on the Bay. Seals hauled out on Black Rock.

Note the differences in size of the harbour seals and the grey seal.

Note the blow of the fin whale.

Fin whales are the second largest whales in the world.

Fin whale dorsal.

Bald eagle on Pendleton Island.

Screening print keepsake t-shirts.

One of the beautiful t-shirts.

More information about this field course and others offered at the Huntsman can be found on our website or by calling 506-529-1200.

Whale Young Explorer Day 2017

This week's Young Explorer Day at the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium was all about whales in the Bay of Fundy.

Here are few photos from our fun day.

Exploring the touch tanks.

Testing out the blubber glove.

Learning about the size of different whale species.

Whale and herring four corners. Enjoying the sun!

Is the blow of a whale, water or it's breath? Do all whales have a the same blow pattern?

Our finished whale blow pattern craft. Right whales have a V-shaped blow and humpbacks have a bushy blow. 

You can visit our website for more information about the Young Explorer Day Programs. Next week's seabird day and marine biology week are full. The remaining Young Explorer Days, shark, microscopic and lobster have a few spots remaining. This summer we are also offering a program in partnership with Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre for children to make marine debris into art. Please call 506-529-1245 to register.

Seal Young Explorer Day 2017

Today's Young Explorer program at the aquarium was all about seals.

Here are a few photos from our fun day.

Preparing food for the seal feeding.

Learning about seal vitamins.

Comparing seal bones to humans.

If we wanted to live in the ocean like a seal what special equipment would we need?

Observing the special characteristics seals have to live in the ocean.

The theme for next Wednesday's program is whales. We will learn about whale species that visit the Bay of Fundy and why they migrate here in the summer. Call (506) 529-1245 if you would like to register your child(ren).