Doing the Quadrat Hula

Who says we don't have fun on research days at Sanibel Sea School. However we now know what Hula Hoops are round and light-weight. There is a special challenge to making a 0.5 meter pvc quadrat fly around your waist; and when you fail it is often a little hard on the toes.

Yesterday was our bi-weekly sampling of a small bivalve mollusk, Donax, also called coquina. At Sanibel Sea School, we monitor empty Donax shells to help better understand the population health.

And after counting tiny little shells on the beach, most of us have some extra energy that we just have to get out of our systems. Energy, creativity and pvc quadrats makes the perfect combination for quadrat hula hooping. And, who says hard science can't be fun?

Later that day, we took a hike on the Bailey tract and were luck enough to find three alligators along with countless other creatues.

Mud Forests

Mangrove forests are integral parts of the marine ecosystem. In some partrs of the world, they are called forests of mud. Here we pay homage to the spirits of the mud forest, or at least we appear to as we listen for the sounds of the mud flats.

Mrs. Pollard's 4th grade class from Canterbury School had a blast discovering the mud flats, and finding out just how sticky they can be at low tide. Easy way to loose a croc. Better a croc than a student. We also delighted to learn that sea horses share that rich habitat. And, we became trackers to discover what creatures had been here before us, including racoons and several species of wading birds.

And what better a way to relax after lunch and show our island lifestyle than making some shell jewelry? We tied hemp fibers into braclets, chokers and anklets adorned with some of Sanibel's famous bivavlve shells. The toe is the very best place to hold the fibers while tying up a bunch of knots.

Not a bad way to spend the last day before winter break, or for that matter any old school day. There is just something about a field trip. Makes everything fall in to pace. Easy to remember the fun, hard to forget the facts and way to learn about the ocean.

A Cold Day at the Ocean Always Beats a Day in School

Ms. O's fourth grade class from Canterbury School braved the winds and rain of winter weather of Florida to spend the day at Sanibel Sea School. Their efforts were rewarded with many great and exciting island adventures.

We tasted mangrove leaves, slipped in mud flats, found fiddler crabs, honed our skills of observation, added some new vocabulary words...was that ephemeral?

And in the seine, in the rain, we were lucky enough to catch several magnificent sea horses.



Mr. Murphy found a strange new creature never before seen to science and delighted us all with this important scientific discovery.

Sometimes it is easier to pay more attention on a field trip, in the field, in the cold, in the rain rather than sitting in a desk in a warm classroom on a wintery day. Go Figure.

At Sanibel Sea School, every day is a field trip.