Nature is all around us and it is never as close as when you visit a beach or shore area. Whether you take the family on a day trip, spend your vacation there or are lucky enough to live near the sea year-round, you cannot help but be aware of the beauty surrounding the water.
Walk along the beach and you will see signs of sea life beneath your feet. Washed ashore, signs of sea life wait, each with a story to unfold.
Visiting the beach with young children is especially fruitful because you can see firsthand how young children become excited about the sights they may be seeing for the first time. I enjoy watching a young child pick up a beached, sun-dried crab and wonder if “it will still bite.”
Perhaps they see the shell of a horseshoe crab and think it was a turtle shell. Have you watched a child gather seashells and pile up a brightly colored sand pail, exclaiming that all these treasures are coming home at the end of the day? I remember trying to find beach glass, dazzling bits of smooth, colored glass along the water’s edge. What is beach or sea glass as some call it?
It is simply broken pieces of bottles that were tossed on shore or into the sea that became smooth because of currents and waves. It is nature’s rock tumbler that takes 10-20 years to make these sea gems. Have you ever heard the name of another beach finding called a “mermaid’s purse?”
About the size of a domino game piece, it is rectangular, puffy looking black leathery egg case. On each corner is wiggly looking extension that resembles arms and legs. A mermaid’s purse, as it is nicknamed from old folklore, is an egg case that protects developing embryos of either sharks, skates or other marine animals.
Spending time on a seashore vacation is one of the best ways to introduce the child to the world of science. It may very well be the start of a lifelong interest in this subject.
Science and math seem to be the two subjects that many children are apprehensive about learning or find the most difficulty in grasping the concepts in these courses. Finding ways to excite children in these areas has always been the ambition of teachers who major in these courses.
Young children are easy to stimulate and get enthusiastic about things that are new to them. With the right tool, the subject can also be fun. For the adult shopping for a young child the choices are endless when it comes to creative ways to introduce science to a youngster. Being on school recess, showing the child an alternative learning method that does not involve the classroom makes the subject seem to be more entertaining. Think about the young child that may be on your gift-giving list. Why not give that child something educational this year?
Not only are there wonderful kits for arts and crafts, but there are also items that specialize in science-related experiences for the young child. Shoppers may be able to find these educational items in certain areas of a toy store that feature “learning” as the basis for the toy.
A popular store in some malls features toys, games and kits that are exclusive to the world of science. These stores have areas devoted to sea life, the solar system, the animal kingdom, archeology, and a host of fascinating topics for children nursery through high school. Take a trip to your local library and take out books relating to science, on the child’s level.
Visit your local pet shop and show the child the different species of fish in the tanks, the birds in cages or the little hamsters and gerbils turning their wheels crawling around their habitats. These are all science-based activities and one’s children will love and remember as a fun learning experience.
Go out and become explorers!
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