Moonstone Beach and Tidepools

Students hike a mile and a half along sandy beaches and coastal cliff tops. Along the way, they encounter common seashore life and have the opportunity to learn up close about those animals. Brown Pelicans, Sea Otters, Harbor Seals, and Ground Squirrels are daily sights. Groups also frequently see Great Egrets, the rare Snowy Plover, and Brush Rabbits along the trail. The beach hike provides an excellent venue for lessons on wave formation, tide cycles, and erosion. Students also learn about kelp and have a chance to beat the KEEP jump rope record with Bull Kelp! Students may dig into the sand to find Beach Fleas and then study their adaptations with the Beach Flea Olympics.

Naturalists use a variety of techniques to encourage students to get a sense of the place they are in. Creative writing is an important part of that experience. We are often surprised and impressed with the quality of writing these activities produce. The I am a ... writing activity asks students to choose anything from nature and to write about what the world is like from its perspective. The Rhyming Poem assignments are often quite interesting.

Beach art is another experiental lesson. Students may be asked to think of an animal they saw during the week and to build that creature using anything they can find on the beach. During the process, students encounter the variety of materials to be found on the beach and learn quite a bit about the details and lifestyle of the animal they choose.

During the second half of the day, students learn about and explore our local tidepools. This hike focuses on stewardship of a very fragile ecosystem and the variety of adaptations that tidepool creatures exhibit. Students always enjoy touching the sea anemones, searching for sea stars, and holding hermit crabs. On days with particularly low tides, they may be able to participate in theTidepool Monitoring Program. Scientific Monitoring activities are important lessons in how data are collected in scientific research and studies and are a way for students to focus in closely on one study area.

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Last update: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 at 12:26:33 PM
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