Sanibel Sea School works with local Boys & Girls Club
Since the beginning of June, the Sanibel Sea School has shared ocean learning experiences with over 200 campers from the Boys & Girls Club of Lee County’s Park Meadows facility. Each week featured a different topic of focus, with both a field trip and hands-on learning. Topics included dolphins, crabs, mollusks, and plankton.
“There were many firsts for these campers this summer and we’re so humbled to have shared this with them,” marine science educator Brianna Machuga said. “First time canoeing, first time using a microscope, first time surfing, and for some — first time in the sea.”
On one of the field trips, the Sanibel Sea School brought out its new SEA — Science Experiments & Activities — Lab, which teaches the joys of marine science on-the-go. It is equipped with microscopes, a smart TV, touch tank, and a variety of lab equipment for fun experiential learning for all ages. During the field trip, students used a plankton tow off the Sanibel Causeway and then looked at their samples in the lab under a microscope.
“They were shocked at how much life existed in just one teeny tiny drop of water,” marine science educator Tiara Burton said. “It was so cool using the microscopes while the salty ocean breeze floated through the trailer, all the while listening to the crashing waves. It was a sensory overload in the best way.”
The field trips were a part of the Sanibel Sea School’s outreach effort, A Chance to Sea. To support the effort, visit https://www.sanibelseaschool.org/ocean-outreach or 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. For more information, visit sanibelseaschool.org.