August 2011 - Camp Favorites: Canoeing, Crabbing, Touching Terrapins

When you're "going on" seven or eight and experiencing summer camp SoundWaters-style,

it's hard to top a day that features crabs and canoes, swimming, sand castles and sharks and minnows.

On a recent afternoon, several young campers crowded around the touch tank in the SoundWaters Center aquarium, picking up spider crabs, hermit crabs and sea stars and sharing what they know about each animal.

"This is a spider crab," said Bryce, who is turning eight in September. "Do you know why it's called that?" He held the crab above the tank and explained by counting its claws: "One, two, three . . . eight, just like a spider!"

Even though summer camp is less rigorous than the school year, a lot of learning takes place, said SoundWaters Educator Jocelyn Mahone.

"We ask questions, which encourages kids to draw connections and allows them to really retain information," she said.

"The environment may be less formal, but we use the same teaching techniques we use for our school programs." And it works.

Connor, who will be eight in November, got to "pet a turtle and learn a lot about them," he said.

He remembered that in the 1800s, terrapins "used to be killed to make soup . . . and now you need a license to keep them." (SoundWaters has a special license from the state Department of Environmental Protection for its terrapin research at the Center.)

Claire, who is nine, learned why the flounder is flat: "so they can blend in with the sand." She and her camp-mates looked for crabs and, she said proudly, "I'm not afraid to pick them up."

Aaron, who is turning eight so "you might as well just say eight," said he found a dead spider crab on the beach, but couldn't remember whether it was a "boy or a girl." But he knew how to tell the difference. (Look on the underside.)

Canoe trips on Holly Pond, which feature visits along salt marsh and beach habitats, make a big impression with these campers. Bryce learned that with two people in a canoe, "one person paddles to the left and one to the right so you go straight."

On the day that Claire canoed, the current was so strong the canoeists couldn't paddle across Holly Pond. Julia, who is seven, was thrilled when her group saw and held a horseshoe crab---with oysters on its shell.

"We combine fun with hands-on learning, and the educators and counselors are so excited about what we're doing the kids can't help but share our enthusiasm," said Jocelyn, who led Julia's canoe trip. "It was the coolest horseshoe crab I've seen."

Because Long Island Sound animals and habitats are new for so many of the campers, "the kids make me see it in a new way," she said. "I understand a lot about Long Island Sound, but it's exciting to be looking at the Sound through their eyes."

Regards,

Leigh Shemitz, Ph.D.
Executive Director
SoundWaters