Happy Summer Weekend! Summer is the BEST! I'm delighted to connect today with the Blended Blog for their weekly link-up as well as B Loved Boston for her weekending link-up!
It's also the season in which we use the MOST water which is a great segue into this blog post about my class at the New England Aquarium Teacher Resource Center last week!
Saving Water = One of the Most Important Things to Do!
Most parts of the United States have plenty of fresh water ~ except the southwest where water is in short supply. However, there are so many people in the world who do not have access to clean water:
1 in 9 people world wide do not have access to safe and clean drinking water.
On the last day we did a water simulation activity in which we had to carry a hand weight, walk to the other side of the room and get our water. The problem: the water was full of dirt. I just can't imagine not having clean, fresh water ~ it's a resource I take for granted every day. We also learned that each minute you are in the shower, you use 5 gallons of water. Of course, I shower as quickly as possible any way, out of habit, but I do remember my own children taking such long showers that there was no hot water left afterwards! What a waste of water! From now on, I'm going to try to find as many ways to save water. If you have any unique water saving tips to share, please let me know in the comments.
One reason I love to take on-site courses is the opportunity to see things not normally open to the public. Our class got to go see what happens to the fish when they're "off duty" or retired. For example, this turtle - nicknamed Killer - tried to or did bite a child during a presentation. Now he's an official "behind the scenes only" sea animal:
The Aquarium also has two electric eels. One is one display while the other recuperates:
In one display tank, several cobras live. Once they get too hefty, the employees can't remove them to get their measurements. As of last year, here's their weights and lengths:
By the way, Wilson is a girl!
Visiting a Salt Marsh
Boston used to have many salt marshes. Now there is one left, and it's a beautiful place to walk and to see many different birds! We visited Belle Isle Marsh on Wednesday, and it is even accessible by public transportation!
Growing up I always played in the marsh (not Belle Isle) across the street from my house, and now that marsh is a protected area! I'm so glad that the government is protecting these important to the environment places!
Field Trip to Spectacle Island
If you want to get away from it all, head to Spectacle Island which is a four mile boat ride away:
If you can spot the water tower on the small hill, that's Winthrop ~ the town where I grew up!
Upon arriving at Spectacle Island, there is a Visitor's Center complete with bathrooms and a small restaurant called Salty's. The beaches are pristine and chockfull of sea glass and old pieces of pottery. It's an amazing day trip, and if you're really adventurous, you can travel to other Boston Harbor Islands!
Well, there is plenty more news to share, but I'm stopping here. Thank you for visiting and reading about my adventures from last week. Please let me know if you've even been to any of these places or if you have recommendations for must-see places!
Have a wonderful day!
Cobras??!! ACK!!!! You've done some amazing things this week. It sounds like there are so many cool things to do in Boston. My sister used to live in South Boston, and we went to Castle Island once. Going there on my own makes me nervous though. I'm kind of a baby about driving in traffic when I don't know the area. Thanks for sharing about all the cool things you learned.
ReplyDeleteJan
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