Sanibel Sea School educators share must-do courses
The Sanibel Sea School has a course catalogue with over 30 marine science topics. It can be hard to decide what ones to take, so marine science educators offered up their following favorites:
– Dana Donkle’s choice is “Plankton — Adrift at Sea.” Plankton get their name from the Greek word “planktos,” meaning drifters. These are the plants and animals that, in many ways, support all life on the planet. “Many children don’t stop and think about the microscopic creatures in our oceans,” she said. “This class gives students an opportunity to see them up close and personal.” In the course, children collect plankton in specialized nets and then learn to identify them using a microscope. “The variety of plankton we can see is fascinating,” Donkle said. “Students will never look at a drop of water quite the same way again.”
– Brianna Machuga loves to take students back in time for “Calusa — Evidence of a Lost Culture.” Ages before European settlers arrived on the local shores, the Calusa made their home here. “We try to imagine ourselves as part of this lost civilization,” she said. “We use natural materials to create tools similar to what the Calusa used. I love seeing students’ imagination run wild while using what they find in nature to create.” Children can also try their hand at using a seine net, which is modeled after Calusa fishing nets.
– “Sea Turtles — One in 3,000 Chance of Survival” is Joey Garofano’s favorite. Southern beaches provide excellent nesting habitats for these animals. “I love this course because we get to act like sea turtles and simulate the nesting process on the beach,” he said. “Students leave the course with a new-found appreciation for how hard female turtles work to lay their eggs.” The class also focuses heavily on efforts to conserve the creatures. The best time of year to take the course is summer when there is a chance to see tracks from a nesting female or even a nest left behind.
Course topics rotate monthly. Offered at the Sanibel flagship campus, the Sundial Beach Resort and South Seas Island Resort, they are designed as half-day experiences for ages 6-13.
The Sanibel Sea School can also create customized two-hour sessions around any of the topics as a land-based private option. Privates are open to all ages or for the family to learn together.
To view the course calendar, visit sanibelseaschool.org.
The full catalogue can be found at “Sanibel Flagship Campus” under the “Programs” tab.
To set up a land-based private option, contact sanibelseaschool@sccf.org.
Part of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, family, the Sanibel Sea School’s mission is to improve the ocean’s future, one person at a time.