The New England Aquarium visited Donald McKay a few Fridays ago to teach the children about different marine habitats around Boston. To illustrate the variations in both habitat, and subsequently, the marine life within each, they brought touch tanks!
Learning that these animals existed around Boston, whether at the Belle Isle Marsh or Constitution Beach, was very exciting! It also drove home how important it is to keep habitats like the Belle Isle Marsh in tact so that these animals won’t become displaced as the habitats shift. The aquarium also set up an overfishing activity using straws and various snacks, wherein the children were paired and would use the straw to “fish” snacks from the water (a plate) to their boat (a bowl) for a season (15 seconds). Afterwards the manager, the child who didn’t fish that season, would take stock of the water and for every two of each snack left, they’d receive one more of that snack. It was the manager’s job to ensure that overfishing was carefully watched so as to not run out of any one snack after each season.
The next Wednesday, the children at Maverick Landing Community Services learned about sailing and charts thanks to the lesson organized by Alex DeFronzo of the Piers Park Sailing Center. After locating East Boston on the chart and the importance of Boston’s location as a maritime hub, as its protected from high waves by the clusters of islands and peninsulas that provide calmer waters nearer to shore, the children made their own globes for their chance to win a hat from the Sailing Center.
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