Yesterday, Sailors for the Sea staff traveled to the New England Aquarium in Boston for their World Oceans Day celebration! Hundreds of families visited, learning the importance of ocean conservation through hands on activities.
Sailors for the Sea staff demonstrating Rainy Day Kits!
Sailors for the Sea staff taught kids and parents about sustainable seafood using two of our Rainy Day Kits, The Deadliest Catch & Sustainable Seafood Matching Game.
The Deadliest Catch is was a big hit amongst the crowd, thanks to the usage of candy to demonstrate overfishing. Kids are given an “ocean” (bowl) full of “fish” (swedish fish & skittles) and a fishing pole (a straw). In the first round, kids use the straw to suck up the candy and set it next to the bowl. After the first round students are allowed to eat their catch – and are asked… What do the fish left in the ocean do? The most common answer was swim away – but some guessed correctly that they would repopulate!
A young visitor tries to catch fish with his straw.
The joy on a kids face who did not catch very many fish was amazing, and those who had emptied their bowl were sadly reminded that 0 x 0 = 0. A second round allows kids to use a net (spoon) to more easily capture fish. Some discovered the concept that they could have a never ending candy bowl if they did not remove all the fish in the sea!
Once the concept of sustainable seafood is learned, kids played a version of memory with Sustainable Seafood Matching Game to learn which kind of fish they can are caught in a sustainable manner.
To download these lesson plans, click here. The plans are intended to be 30-60 minute activities and are ideal for learning about marine science and ocean health issues when you don’t have laboratory supplies. Almost every item you need can be printed out or bought at your local pharmacy!
Kids contemplating candy… parents thinking about if they eat sustainable seafood!
Sailors for the Sea 