This summer, families got the most from the coast thanks to a workshop series hosted by the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
The series featured a mix of classroom activities and field excursions created to connect families with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) resources in exploring a myriad of diverse local ecosystems. At the core of the program was a simple goal: provide hands-on learning — after all, you haven’t truly “connected with the coast” until you’ve been elbow-deep in wet sand digging for clams.
“My favorite aspect of the program is watching families learn together rather than learning separately as kids vs. adults,” said Charissa Stair who, as OCAq’s Teacher Program Manager, coordinated the series in close collaboration with education staff and local partners.
Huddled at classroom tables, families listened as aquarium educators outlined differences between cockles, butter clams, and gapers, as well as their roles in marine ecosystems — and the rules, tools and techniques used to harvest these shellfish. Next, donning rubber boots and brandishing buckets, families set out in the name of for science, discovery, and of course clams.
Another special OCAq summer workshop highlighted the ocean’s tides and what can be found hidden within the receding surf. After learning about intertidal species at the aquarium, the group ventured to local tide pools to apply their knowledge, working together to identify and document anemones, sea stars, limpets, and other creatures exposed during the outgoing tide.
One of the primary goals of the series was to highlight how coastal habitats are interdependent. By examining the relationships between tide pools, estuaries, and other environments, participants learned how humans, animals and plants rely on each other to maintain healthy marine communities.
The workshop explained how the connection between land and sea begins in our coastal forests: nutrients flow downstream from headwaters to the ocean; the ocean reciprocates with an upwell of those nutrients to an estuary during each incoming tide, fueling the growth of shellfish which, in turn, nourish the humans, birds, and other animals who venture out to pluck them from the mud.
It’s just one of many ways coastal ecosystems — and all who inhabit them — are connected and dependent on each other to remain healthy.
On the final day of the series, families had the opportunity to share their discoveries with aquarium guests, utilizing their newfound knowledge and hands-on experience to educate others and ignite interest in a better understanding of their own connection to the coast.
Program Funding: this program is funded via a grant from the National Science Foundation awarded to the High Desert Museum; the grant funds efforts to examine the efficacy of STEM/science family programming. In participating, the Oregon Coast Aquarium can offer unique experiences to local families while contributing to the nationwide improvement of family programming.
