Making Sound Decisions
When one of our 5th graders decided to run for CT Kid Governor and was a finalist, we knew that we had to do something very concrete to make Connecticut cleaner, which was the cornerstone of her campaign. On Tuesday, June 14th, we did just that. Our 5th grade citizen scientists loaded a school bus at 6:15 AM and rode to Groton, CT. For some of them, it was the first time, they had been on a field trip. For many of them, it was the first time in three years that they had been on a school bus. For all of them, it was the first time that they would be doing real science. On Project Oceanology, the students
“...embarked on a two and a half hour, extremely engaging, cruise out on Long Island Sound aboard a floating classroom, the Enviro-Lab research vessel. They will get their hands wet as they set a trawl net with the help of Project Oceanology professional staff and interact with marine life such as crabs, squid, fish and other living organisms from the sunlit surface to the bottom of the Sound. Students will be involved in rigorous field sampling techniques using charts and the real scientific tools of marine science to measure and record accurate data and learn about ecosystems, adaptations, biodiversity and environmental issues. The cruise teaches students why Long Island Sound is a vital natural resource worthy of conservation and protection” (oceanology.org). When the students returned to school 10 hours later they were tired, they were happy and they were determined to make Connecticut a cleaner place to be.
If you have not had a chance to study the Long Island Sound, here are some cool resources:
Explore LIS
LIS Resource Center
All About Corals
All About Estuaries
All About Tides
All about Currents
All About Nonpoint Source Pollution
