Two years ago, Jerry Schubel, president and CEO of thein Long Beach, California, told me, “If you want your kids to care about the ocean, get them to care about the things that live in the ocean.”He invited my four children(ages twelve, nine, four, and one at the time) to the aquarium for a day of petting sharks, feeding sea otters and manta rays, enjoying the company ofa precocious two-year-old Magellanic penguin, and shadowingstaff as they identified and loggedaquatic life sightings aboard.
On that cruise, we fell in love with a family of five fin whales swimming in the ocean. We could hear each whale breathe, and some of us got sprayed in the face by water fromtheir blowholes. Todaywe still think about their well-beingand what we can do to prevent threats tothe second-largest species of whales.
Now, with shelter-in-place orders in effect, I wondered how aquariums and ocean-conservation programs wouldcontinue sharing these kinds of experiences remotely. Fortunately, the Aquarium of the Pacific and a number of other organizations throughout the country are offering families a variety of engaging activities online.
Aquariums
The Aquarium of the Pacific’s includesprograms with itseducators, live, videos, a , and a. “The interaction between us and the audience is key,” saysDavid Bader, its director of education. “We are trying to use face-to-face teaching theories in a distance-learning platform. We are building connections and community among our viewers. We want people of all ages who are at home to engage with our exhibits and animals and learn about the ocean.”
The aquarium’s free app challenges both adults and kids to sustainably consume food, water, and energy. around the aquarium is an especially popular post.
is the public-outreach center for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego, one of the largest research programs for ocean and earth science. Tune in to its events and watch behind-the-scenes videos of things likehatchingor a tank that is pumped with sea water,which facilitates the growth ofalgae.
Each weekthe premieres a new video in its YouTube series. Check out itsnew, which offersfield guides and lesson plans for kindergartenthrough 12th grade. Itsmost popular posts feature puppies from the Atlanta Humane Society while it’s closed to the public.
In Hawaii,has set upnew, like how to draw marine animals with Hawaiian nature artist Patrick Ching and webcams of the Hawaiian monk seal named Hoailona, the south shore of Waikiki, and the aquarium’sgalleries.
“Engaging and inspiring the public about the wonders of our blue planet is central to our mission,” saysVikki N. Spruill, president andCEO of the . To continue those efforts during the pandemic, her aquariumis hostinganew series of, daily live educational presentationson at 11 A.M. EST, interviews with aquarists, and at-home projects. Themost popular video since its closure has beenthe.
Some unique opportunities have been made possible because aquariums are closed. From March 26 to April 14, the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service grantedin California a special exception to livestream what guests would normally not be allowed to see: resident. Visit its page to find free self-paced online courses, such as for pre-Kto second gradeand for grades three through six. “Our education team helps students to think like a scientist while they learn about ocean animals and habitatsand what they can contribute to conservation,” saysRita Bell, its vice president of education.
Nonprofits and Government Agencies
The, locatedin Laguna Beach, California,offers long-distancethat arenormally only available toschools but arenow open to everyone. Using the, participants cantake photosof tagged sealsor sea lions in the wildso the center can see where the animals they once took care of are and how they’re faring.
manages 14 national marine sanctuaries as well asthePapahanaumokuakea and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments, located in the North and South Pacific Oceans, respectively. Start with foraccess to itsinteractive live series, which includes videos like “,” early releases of its, games, a curriculum, and expeditions.
The, originally scheduled to run in March in San Francisco, has released itsfilms for free online. Movieslike ,about a 16-year-old learning to scuba-dive,were added formiddle school and high school students who were setto attend the festival. “Some of these kids have never been to the ocean. Our goal is to bring the ocean to our audiences, since they can’t come to us,” saysexecutive director Ann Blanco. “Our desire is to keep the conversation going, so we can learn about the beauty of our ocean, the amazing animals that live in the ocean, and how we recreate with the ocean for our pleasure. The ocean brings us calm and reduces our stress, so we’re trying to help during this critical time with the power of film.”
Although virtual experiences provide similar benefits to reality, we had such a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experience with the whales that I wasn’t sure howvirtual programs could compare. Butafter a week of introducing these resources to my family, I noticed that my older kids would sometimes skip Fortnite meetups just to attend underwater livestreams. After working my way through the Aquarium of the Pacific’s lecture series, I now serve my family only seafood from sustainable and responsible wild and farmed sources, and Imake smoothies with seaweed. And while watching the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s and listening to its social-media team answerquestions about stranded pups one day, my six-year-old giggledat the sight ofIvy, aresident sea otter,pouncing on the back of a pup, wrappingher arms around the pup’s waist, and wranglingher down to a sleeping position.“Mom, that’s what you do with us,” my daughtersaid.My three-year-old askedme to scratch her belly the way Ivy wascalming down her pup. Then she pointedat the pup and said, “She looks just like me.”