Overfishing from greenforum on Vimeo.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Dolphins, Dolphins Everywhere
This week it was dolphins, dolphins and more dolphins at Sanibel Sea School. We played echo-location - the Sanibel Sea School version of Marco-Polo. We played capture the fish, we went on dolphin walks, we talked a lot about how dolphins live and hunt their prey. While avoiding the common thunderstorms, we made dolphin flags, we created skits about life under the sea, and we made finger puppets to represent our favorite sea creatures.
In keeping with the tradition of Sanibel Sea School, we not only had fun, but we also learned a lot about Bottlenose Dolphins. For example, we leaned that adult dolphins weigh between 330 and 1400 pounds, and that an average adult weighs in around 700 pounds. And, that same adult will typically consume 5% of its body weight in prey- mostly fishes per day – that’s 35 pounds of fish per day.
We also learned that scientists believe dolphins might just be smarter than humans, and that just because they always appear to be wearing a smile, they are not always happy. We talked about the Marine Mammal Act and how it protects dolphins.
One of the highlights of the week was a cruise aboard the Stars and Stripes from Sanibel Marina led by Captain Joe to watch dolphins cavort in the wake. And cavort they did – you have never really experienced total euphoria and unabated joy unless you have been immersed in the cacophony of seventeen young ocean explorers as they squeal with delight about dolphin antics.
And, of course, what would a week of summer camp in the ocean be without plenty of snorkeling. We explored the sand bar called Little Sanibel, just east of the high span bridge. There, we found flounder, horseshoe crabs, spider crabs, giant lightning whelks and hundred of cute little hermit crabs. We caught juvenile Lookdown and Pompano in the Gulf of Mexico. Oh, and we surfed every day in the small waves on the east end.
It was a busy and full week for the little camp on the east end of the island. We were busy learning, growing and having good old-fashion fun in the ocean. We were busy becoming the new generation of ocean stewards – Generation Blue.
It takes a village to raise a child, and a community to produce Sanibel Sea School’s Summer Camp. We are grateful to the Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club who helps support students through scholarships.. Dan Hahn Custom Builder supports our summer program. Bailey’s General Store quenches our thirst on these hot days with lots of ice. Billy’s Bikes keeps us in cardboard from which we build life size models to really understand how big a dolphin is. To all these folks and the countless others, we are grateful.
Check us out at sanibel sea school and see lots more pictures of dolphin week.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Floating Fabulous King's Crown Week at Sanibel Sea School
By Leah Biery
Kings Crown Week at Sanibel Sea School was filled with exploration and adventure, as we set out on a mission to learn about the mollusks that inhabit our island and its surrounding waters.
We began the week with a mud walk at Bunche Beach, where we braved the slippery, stinky mangrove mud to find fiddler crabs and small King’s Crown Conchs in their natural habitat. King’s Crown Conchs inhabiting intertidal flats feed mainly on detritus, so they remain smaller than their cannibalistic brothers living near the oyster reef. After learning about these creatures, we attempted to copy their lifestyle by slithering through the mud, but don’t worry, we jumped into San Carlos Bay to rinse off before heading home to our parents.
Continuing our quest to become bivalve brainiacs, we went snorkeling at Lighthouse Beach, where we came face to face with schools of fish and a cownose ray. We also found a live cockle shell, scallops, lightning whelks, banded tulips, and plenty of mollusk egg casings. Although many of the egg casings look similar to one another, we discovered that reproduction varies drastically between mollusk species. If you have ever cracked open a lightning whelk egg casing (those long, tan swirly things you find on the beach), you’ve probably noticed that there are perfect miniature gastropods formed inside, ready to begin life. King’s Crowns do things a little differently. About 25 days after eggs are laid, larvae veliger emerge and begin a brief swimming stage, where they float in the surface currents before developing shells and returning to life on the bottom of the ocean.
We wanted to understand what life is like for free-floating King’s Crown larvae, so we strapped on life jackets and made our way out past the third sandbar to the zone where our feet can’t reach the bottom. After we overcame the uneasiness of being sort of far from shore, we laid on our backs and allowed the current to move us along the beach, slightly jealous that King’s Crown larvae get to do this every day.
In the spirit of exploration, we broke out the metal detectors to search for treasure on the beach. We found metal boxes full of mollusk trivia and won points for correct answers and for picking up trash. We also worked together to create a giant King’s Crown Conch tile mosaic, which is now proudly displayed at the Sea School.
Even after all of this fun, we somehow managed to fit in our regular activities like surfing, seining, jewelry-making, shell-collecting, and a sandcastle-building fiesta at Bowman’s Beach. We gained a new appreciation for the variety of mollusks in the ocean and on land, and a better understanding of the challenges these creatures face and the perks they enjoy.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Young Ocean Authors
At Sanibel Sea School, we engage with the ocean in a myriad of ways; through education, exploration, research, discovery, adventure, athleticism, and a lot of plain old-fashioned fun.
This past week, we have thought about the many ways in which the ocean inspires and intrigues us - how we are fed by the ocean surrounding us. And, we have used the ocean as a focal point to explore our creative writing skills.
Here are a just a few examples of our ocean-inspired writings.
Soul Float by Rachel Wexler
"I closed my eyes and curled into a ball. The tiny waves lapped at my chin. It made me feel more relaxed, temporarily vanishing my fear of sharks. I began to enjoy the slow rocking feeling of the waves. I scooped up a handful of sand, rubbing it on my arms to exfoliate my skin. For a few magical moments I forgot I was in the ocean. I forgot I was anywhere. All I could feel was water. Then, I suddenly remembered my fear of sharks. The magic was gone."
Floating on the Waves by Ashley Edwards
"When I was floating on the water, I felt how the waves crashed on me. I felt so light on top of the waves. I could float for hours on the water, relaxing."
Floating by Abby Neill
"'Clink , Clink,' You can hear the shells rolling in the waves.
Each wave makes a sloshing sound.
Like in those old movies, the sounds of submarines.
You are floating, eyes closed.
Floating in a wet space on Earth,
What matters is that little splash, not what you saw on TV this morning.
You don’t think, you float.
Peace could be so easy if everyone… just… floated.
And, then you are asleep in an ocean of peace."
Campfire Night by Annah De Vaublanc
"This night was probably my better night on my trip to Sanibel. It was so cool. Au début, on nous a donné des balonnets lumineux. And we have lots of fun with them. We do some pictures when we do some circles, on les a lances et some personne qui était to the other side of the tidepool and catch them. We also do some jumping pictures. After we do a few in the sand, we grille some marshmallows and we put them in cookies with chocolate. After, we come back to the sea school."
Surf Haiku by James Ahlemeier
"pure massive power
raging from miles away
surfers live for this"
Waves by Chloe Kissal
"Splashing silently on the shore
Calming, soothing, and much more
Rumbling, tumbling, round and round
Some turning without making a sound
Some people surf monsters, some surf hills
Some people surf them like fish with gills
And every time a waves comes by
You have a feeling to surf and you don’t know why"
Waves by Brigitte Wodrich
"Crashing, rolling, strong, persistent, beautiful, calm, bumpy wave
Everything that a surfer craves.
To own and control these wild waves you must be patient and learn to wait.
One way that all surfers can relate is it doesn’t matter how big or small the wave."
The Beach by Emma Neill
"Waves crashing on the sand, as if mad.
The sand soft under my feet, the shells and rocks seem soft to the touch.
Wind blows through the casrima trees.
The water when calm laps at the shore, little gulls and terns sit or fly over the water, sometimes preening or catching fish.
Everything calm and quiet, just like Sea School at times.
Then, just like that, a motor boat comes, angry and mad, as if to wreck the silence.
Then when it is gone, all is quiet again."
Sanibel Boat Trip by Colin Maw
"My favorite part of yesterday was the snorkeling and the boating. We went snorkeling and I saw a whole bunch of seaweed beds under the water. I kept crashing into Ben. The thing I liked about the boat was the waves. It was like a roller coaster in the water. "
Der Ozean by Linus Keidel
"Die Wellen sind so groβ
Das ist nichts fuer ein Floβ
Aber wenn sie sind so klein
Ja ich mein,
Dass kann schoen sein.
Der Ozean ist so tief toll,
Dass ich mich am liebsten in ihm roll
Doch koennen wir nicht halten alle in Schacht,
Darum gebe Acht."
A Day at Sea School by Laura Heim
"My day yesterday was funny. We went into the mangroves and we found little fish and saw a sea star. But the best was the surfing. Later we carved stamps out of potatoes, it was fun too."
Beach by Anonymous
"K-shh, k-shh, k-shh
the soothing rhythm of small waves
crash, crash, crash
the angry pattern of large waves
The smell of salt and fish
a light breeze
sun-bleached shells
waves approach from as far as the eye can see
the sand holds shells, bleached white
the wind is cool, the water
is warm."
Untitled by Michele Alger
"What I think this week will be like to me is learning about waves and surfing.
Waves
Powerful Calm"
Sea School by Anonymous
"Snorkeling was lots of fun. We went swimming near some coral and found mollusks in huge conch shells. I found a five year old common fig and a three year old King's Crown. We saw many fish and I cut my toe. Making potato prints was lots of fun. I made a print that was supposed to be a 'G' but ended up as a sailboat and a buoy. I like it even though when I print it turns out looking like a mess. Before that we went surfing. I got up on my board for the first time but jumped off in the fear of hitting two people in the middle of the water. After that we did drum ensembles. Yesterday was lots of fun."
Nighttime on the Beach by Anonymous
"Last night the thunder blazed across a vast horizon. Sending blades from cloud to cloud or in to the sea. The whole sky lit up for a second or two, and was very beautiful.
We watched the fire blaze in the distance as we played with our glowsticks in dim moonlight, and roasted marshmallows over a blazing fire and ate the smores with savory delight."
Untitled by Conrad Wodrich
"Oceans are nice.
Waves are nice.
Water is blue.
Sand is nice."
About Our Authors........
Rachel Wex
ler lives on Sanibel Island and attends the Sanibel School. She is eleven and is going in to sixth grade. Her favorite way to enjoy the water is swimming.
Michele Alger is twelve years old and lives in Fort Myers, Florida. In her free time, she likes to swim and read.
Ashley Edwards lives in Fort Myers, Florida. She is home schooled and enjoys spending time with her two dogs and her cat. She plays volleyball and loves floating in the ocean.
Abby Neill lives on Sanibel Island and attends seventh grade at The Canterbury School. She enjoys writing, swimming, shelling on the beach, and playing with her pet rats, Lydia and Grace.
Annah De Vaublanc is from Paris, France. She is twelve years old and enjoys finding shells. She visits Sanibel Island every summer with her family.
James Ahlemeier is in seventh grade at The Canterbury School. He likes curried chicken, has a younger brother, and loves to surf.
Chloe Kissal is eleven years old. She lives in Maryland, where she attends Southern Middle School. She plays softball, rides horses, and loves spending time in the water.
Brigitte Wodrich is from Ontario, Canada. She is visiting Sanibel Island for the summer and loves to surf, make art, and play tennis.
Emma Neill is a ten year old resident of Sanibel Island. Her favorite animal is the sea turtle. She loves to read and play at the beach. When she grows up, she would like to be a marine biologist.
Colin Maw is eleven years old and lives on Sanibel Island. His favorite animal is the sea turtle. He likes to play with Legos and design ships.
Linus Keidel is from Bavaria, Germany. He is thirteen years old. He likes to play the piano and play field hockey. His favorite sea creature is the whale.
Laura Heim is from Bavaria, Germany. She is fifteen years old and enjoys skiing. Her favorite beach activity is swimming
.
Conrad Wodrich is a twelve year old from Ontario, Canada. He likes to draw and surf.
This past week, we have thought about the many ways in which the ocean inspires and intrigues us - how we are fed by the ocean surrounding us. And, we have used the ocean as a focal point to explore our creative writing skills.
Here are a just a few examples of our ocean-inspired writings.
Soul Float by Rachel Wexler
"I closed my eyes and curled into a ball. The tiny waves lapped at my chin. It made me feel more relaxed, temporarily vanishing my fear of sharks. I began to enjoy the slow rocking feeling of the waves. I scooped up a handful of sand, rubbing it on my arms to exfoliate my skin. For a few magical moments I forgot I was in the ocean. I forgot I was anywhere. All I could feel was water. Then, I suddenly remembered my fear of sharks. The magic was gone."
Floating on the Waves by Ashley Edwards
"When I was floating on the water, I felt how the waves crashed on me. I felt so light on top of the waves. I could float for hours on the water, relaxing."
Floating by Abby Neill
"'Clink , Clink,' You can hear the shells rolling in the waves.
Each wave makes a sloshing sound.
Like in those old movies, the sounds of submarines.
You are floating, eyes closed.
Floating in a wet space on Earth,
What matters is that little splash, not what you saw on TV this morning.
You don’t think, you float.
Peace could be so easy if everyone… just… floated.
And, then you are asleep in an ocean of peace."
Campfire Night by Annah De Vaublanc
"This night was probably my better night on my trip to Sanibel. It was so cool. Au début, on nous a donné des balonnets lumineux. And we have lots of fun with them. We do some pictures when we do some circles, on les a lances et some personne qui était to the other side of the tidepool and catch them. We also do some jumping pictures. After we do a few in the sand, we grille some marshmallows and we put them in cookies with chocolate. After, we come back to the sea school."
Surf Haiku by James Ahlemeier
"pure massive power
raging from miles away
surfers live for this"
Waves by Chloe Kissal
"Splashing silently on the shore
Calming, soothing, and much more
Rumbling, tumbling, round and round
Some turning without making a sound
Some people surf monsters, some surf hills
Some people surf them like fish with gills
And every time a waves comes by
You have a feeling to surf and you don’t know why"
Waves by Brigitte Wodrich
"Crashing, rolling, strong, persistent, beautiful, calm, bumpy wave
Everything that a surfer craves.
To own and control these wild waves you must be patient and learn to wait.
One way that all surfers can relate is it doesn’t matter how big or small the wave."
The Beach by Emma Neill
"Waves crashing on the sand, as if mad.
The sand soft under my feet, the shells and rocks seem soft to the touch.
Wind blows through the casrima trees.
The water when calm laps at the shore, little gulls and terns sit or fly over the water, sometimes preening or catching fish.
Everything calm and quiet, just like Sea School at times.
Then, just like that, a motor boat comes, angry and mad, as if to wreck the silence.
Then when it is gone, all is quiet again."
Sanibel Boat Trip by Colin Maw
"My favorite part of yesterday was the snorkeling and the boating. We went snorkeling and I saw a whole bunch of seaweed beds under the water. I kept crashing into Ben. The thing I liked about the boat was the waves. It was like a roller coaster in the water. "
Der Ozean by Linus Keidel
"Die Wellen sind so groβ
Das ist nichts fuer ein Floβ
Aber wenn sie sind so klein
Ja ich mein,
Dass kann schoen sein.
Der Ozean ist so tief toll,
Dass ich mich am liebsten in ihm roll
Doch koennen wir nicht halten alle in Schacht,
Darum gebe Acht."
A Day at Sea School by Laura Heim
"My day yesterday was funny. We went into the mangroves and we found little fish and saw a sea star. But the best was the surfing. Later we carved stamps out of potatoes, it was fun too."
Beach by Anonymous
"K-shh, k-shh, k-shh
the soothing rhythm of small waves
crash, crash, crash
the angry pattern of large waves
The smell of salt and fish
a light breeze
sun-bleached shells
waves approach from as far as the eye can see
the sand holds shells, bleached white
the wind is cool, the water
is warm."
Untitled by Michele Alger
"What I think this week will be like to me is learning about waves and surfing.
Waves
Powerful Calm"
Sea School by Anonymous
"Snorkeling was lots of fun. We went swimming near some coral and found mollusks in huge conch shells. I found a five year old common fig and a three year old King's Crown. We saw many fish and I cut my toe. Making potato prints was lots of fun. I made a print that was supposed to be a 'G' but ended up as a sailboat and a buoy. I like it even though when I print it turns out looking like a mess. Before that we went surfing. I got up on my board for the first time but jumped off in the fear of hitting two people in the middle of the water. After that we did drum ensembles. Yesterday was lots of fun."
Nighttime on the Beach by Anonymous
"Last night the thunder blazed across a vast horizon. Sending blades from cloud to cloud or in to the sea. The whole sky lit up for a second or two, and was very beautiful.
We watched the fire blaze in the distance as we played with our glowsticks in dim moonlight, and roasted marshmallows over a blazing fire and ate the smores with savory delight."
Untitled by Conrad Wodrich
"Oceans are nice.
Waves are nice.
Water is blue.
Sand is nice."
About Our Authors........
Rachel Wex
ler lives on Sanibel Island and attends the Sanibel School. She is eleven and is going in to sixth grade. Her favorite way to enjoy the water is swimming.
Michele Alger is twelve years old and lives in Fort Myers, Florida. In her free time, she likes to swim and read.
Ashley Edwards lives in Fort Myers, Florida. She is home schooled and enjoys spending time with her two dogs and her cat. She plays volleyball and loves floating in the ocean.
Abby Neill lives on Sanibel Island and attends seventh grade at The Canterbury School. She enjoys writing, swimming, shelling on the beach, and playing with her pet rats, Lydia and Grace.
Annah De Vaublanc is from Paris, France. She is twelve years old and enjoys finding shells. She visits Sanibel Island every summer with her family.
James Ahlemeier is in seventh grade at The Canterbury School. He likes curried chicken, has a younger brother, and loves to surf.
Chloe Kissal is eleven years old. She lives in Maryland, where she attends Southern Middle School. She plays softball, rides horses, and loves spending time in the water.
Brigitte Wodrich is from Ontario, Canada. She is visiting Sanibel Island for the summer and loves to surf, make art, and play tennis.
Emma Neill is a ten year old resident of Sanibel Island. Her favorite animal is the sea turtle. She loves to read and play at the beach. When she grows up, she would like to be a marine biologist.
Colin Maw is eleven years old and lives on Sanibel Island. His favorite animal is the sea turtle. He likes to play with Legos and design ships.
Linus Keidel is from Bavaria, Germany. He is thirteen years old. He likes to play the piano and play field hockey. His favorite sea creature is the whale.
Laura Heim is from Bavaria, Germany. She is fifteen years old and enjoys skiing. Her favorite beach activity is swimming
. Conrad Wodrich is a twelve year old from Ontario, Canada. He likes to draw and surf.
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